A Few Ingredients For A [Mostly] Stress-free Christmas

There are acquaintances of mine that go all-out at Christmastime.

They max out their credit cards. They get their kids all the things that they want. They go above and beyond what is 'enough' as far as gifts are concerned. And the 'Trying to keep up with the Joneses' thing, well, good luck with that.

[If you aren't familiar with the term: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keeping_up_with_the_Joneses ]

My kids aren't that bad when it comes to what they want for Christmas. My daughter may circle every other toy in the Christmas catalog, but when it's all said and done, they are pretty satisfied after opening their gifts, and usually forget about the things that they had asked for, but didn't get.

For me to tell you that Christmastime is a commercial goldmine for retailers would be wasting my breath. You already know that. I work in a retail environment, and it can, and has in the past, sucked all, or at least most, of the enjoyment out of the season, which in turn makes me sometimes totally oblivious to why we are celebrating in the first place. My colleagues usually feel the same way.

So, I'm just going to list a few things that we could do differently this season. If you already have a stress-free Christmas season, good for you, keep up the good work and leave a few suggestions if you'd like.

Without further ado...

-Spend quality time with your family, especially if you have young kids. You can then relive your childhood Christmas memories through them, all over again, and create some special new ones. There's nothing like a child's joy at Christmastime. In fact, it's not the same without it.

-Remember the real reason. Not going to preach, but let's take a moment this season and reflect on where we would be without that amazing event that took place over 2000 years ago. And...let your kids know, if they already don't; you owe it to them.

-Don't be in a hurry. Slow down and breathe. Take in the season and all of the things that make it wonderful.

-Only worry and fret about the things that really matter. Put the other stuff aside, or let someone else worry about it. Here's an idea: delegate if you have to. You'll be glad you did.

-Enjoy the company of friends. Laugh a little, or a lot, whatever the case may be.

-Give to a charity that gives to the needy. It'll warm your heart. And someone else's...

-Don't spend a boatload of cash on gifts. I know it's cliché, but it's the thought that counts.

-Show 'goodwill to all men'. The rich, the poor, the sick, the dying, the lonely, the needy...go out of your way to be nice, or more so than you usually are...open a door, call someone that needs it, let common courtesy abound...it makes the world a better place.

There are probably tons more things I could have said, and maybe even some obvious ones. But simply let this be a Christmas different from others. Do things for others. Give out of the goodness of your heart. It will change Christmas for you, forever.

L8r

J

PS - If you want a PDF copy of 'CREATING A STRESS-FREE CHRISTMAS!', let me know and I'll email it to you. I got it free, so I'll give it freely.