Holiday Season Begins

As this Holiday Season begins let us remember that often, less is more.


Think about this list:


Less stress        =    more fun
Less expensive  =    more people with gifts
Less shopping   =    more time with loved ones
Less eating        =    more healthy living


This is the time of year we look forward to and dread at the same time.  It takes extra thought and will power to partake in all the holidays have to offer and not "over indulge".


I think my family and I will have a "simple" Holiday Season this year.  We can still have fun, give gifts, go to parties, and welcome visitors.  With a little planning and thought we can make this time of year enjoyable without getting stressed out.


MONTESSORI


The children in our classrooms love the Holidays.  They look forward to presents, special foods, and singing songs of the season.  


We can make this time of year fun for them without being "over the top".  We can take the opportunity to give our children lessons on generosity, charity, and gratefulness in stead of greed and selfishness.


Incorporating lessons of generosity and charity is a good way to approach the Holidays.  Collecting canned foods to take to a food bank, making simple hand-made gifts for family members, and learning how other cultures celebrate are all good ways to put the right emphasis on very special time of year.

TO ONE AND ALL--HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Low Stress Holidays

Hello everyone.

I have not written a post for nearly a month. I will say that I have been busy and a lot has happened in that time period--but, I am glad to be back writing and I sincerely hope you are glad that I am back.

Today I want to say something about having a holiday season that is not overly stressful. What can we do to make that happen. I believe we can do a lot. We can make a concerted effort to DO the important things and NOT DO the things that are really not important. This sounds easy, but it takes so me soul searching and some self discipline to put into action.

First you must identify the things that cause you stress this time of year. It could be sending out cards, shopping, baking, cleaning, having house guests, etc... Now, once you have identified your particular stresses, you must prioritize them. What is most stressful? What could you do without? What brings you the most enjoyment? What will you decide to do with and what will you decide to do without? If you are honest with yourself I am sure there are things that you do because you think "you need to" that really could go "undone" and no one would really care.

After you decide to redo your holiday list of activities I really hope you will find that you and everyone around you will have a happier time and find more time to be together and share memories and a few laughs. My with for you and your loved ones is that this holiday season is full of the things that make you happy, and absent of the things that "make you crazy".

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you!

Take care,
MissT

Holiday Spirit

Holiday Spirit

Do you have Holiday Spirit? Do you get goose bumps when you hear Christmas Carols on the radio? Do you look forward to all the festivities that come this time of year? We are in the midst of another Holiday Season--whether we are ready for it or not!

I am ready for it this year. I am really looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas. I will be having a big group of family and friends over for "Turkey Day". I am planning a weekend full of "holiday stuff". We will be cooking, eating, shopping, decorating, and most importantly, visiting with each other.

I like the idea of the day after Thanksgiving being the start of the Christmas season. I have done a few thing ahead of time this year. We took advantage of a nice weekend and got the lights hung on the outside of the house. I have been picking up a few gifts--mostly stocking stuffers. This is uncharacteristic of me, normally I do not start any of that until December 1st or later. It actually feel really nice to have a head start on all of that.

As we have done in the past, my family will be having a "Christmas Cookie Bake" during Thanksgiving weekend. This is a fun way to get some baking done, stock up the freezer with sweet goodies, and spend quality time with weekend guest. I will be making my cookie dough ahead of time so that the messy part is over and the fun part can start sooner. Decorating and sampling the cookies is much more fun than mixing up the dough.

I hope all of you are getting in the Holiday Spirit. Try, like I will be, to find the good in the season. Leave the other stuff to someone else to worry about. Yes, there is too much commercialism, yes, Christmas Carol start on the radio before Halloween now, yes, we can get stressed out with too much to do and too little time. But, it is up to each of us to make our Holiday Season uplifting and fun. So, get in the Spirit of the Season and do not let yourself be a Scrooge. Choose to enjoy this time of year.

Take care,
MissT

Mountain Air

Clear mountain air!!!

Thought for the day:
Breath in deeply,
Think clearly,
Be deliberate in action,
Find time to be kind or generous, and
Your day will be good.

This is my last day in the Mountains--although I will be in Colorado one more day and night. It is so good to have the opportunity to get away from my day to day routine and experience nature in an up close and personal way. Being in the Mountain Berg of Frisco Colorado is a real gift to me. I take long walks, snap lots of pictures and collect tokens of nature to take home.

On this trip I took advantage of the unusually nice weather for early November--we could have had a foot of snow on the ground. I was able to collect lots of dried flowers and weeds. I have been creating dried flower bouquets for my friends here and I am able to take a nice array home to "play with" when I return to 'flatland' country.

I find such beauty in the way nature dries out a gorgeous flower or weed and creates yet another thing of beauty. My home (and those of my friends) will be decorated with this natural beauty for Thanksgiving.

I am so looking forward to the "Holiday Season" this year. I have planned the Menu for Thanksgiving--picked out recipes for the cookie bake that will happen that weekend as well--and thought about gifts for Christmas--I have even purchased quite a few gifts already this year.

The practice of early shopping has never been something I did--or even thought of as a possibility for me. I always have marveled at people (mostly women I know) that could "prepare" for the holidays all year round.

I never found myself in the "Holiday Spirit" so early in the season before. I am hoping my early preparations will help me (and my family) have a more relaxed and enjoyable Christmas and New Year.

The next time you hear, "Happy Holidays", and have the thought to be a scrooge about the offered sentiment, think about the fact that the person uttering the words may be one of those people (like me now) that wants to "start early" and get a little more enjoyment out of this time of year.

Take care,
MissT