You’re almost there – squeeze in some time to savor the gifts of the season!
There’s nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child.
— Erma Bombeck
The carol exclaims: Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat!
The children fuss: WHEN will it be Christmas???
And the parents plead: So much to do, slow down, slow down…
You’re almost there… I invite you to heed Erma Bombeck’s advice and let your inner child come out to play… find ways to savor the joys and blessings of these last few days of Christmas.
The To-Do List That Stole Christmas
Sure, your list is 10 days long and your time-line is down to 48 hours or less… what’s a body to do? Well of course, prioritize. And then, find ways to play through those priorities.
One of my favorite ways to play-through is listening to happy, upbeat music – it helps transform all those last minute holiday chores into fun for me. I take to heart Reba McIntire’s Let the Music Lift You Up
Lately I’ve been listening to my favorite Christmas tunes. The Peter Paul and Mary A Holiday Celebration
- An apple, a pear, a plum, a cherry, any good thing to make us all merry…
- God bless the master of this house, bless the mistress too,
- And all the little children that round your table grow…
- And all that dwell within gates…
- We wish you ten times more…
- …Food nor drink nor money have we none
- Yet shall we be merry
Indeed, yet shall we be merry – come on, we can do it, only a day or so to go…
Another CD that pleases my inner child is the John Denver and the Muppets album
- It’s in every one of us to be wise…
- Find your heart, open up both your eyes…
- We can all know everything without ever knowing why…
- It’s in every one of us by and by…
- By and by…
Maybe your holiday music taste doesn’t match mine – not to worry – just tune into whatever music does lift you up and then dance your way through that To-Do List! …it’s in every one of us to be wise – so make room for your moments of joy… don’t let the To-Do List steal your holidays.
Working Playfully-Through
Gotta hit the mobbed warehouse store for feast-supplies? Take along your iPod and listen to tunes! Skip lunch and nosh your way through the warehouse – the calorie count will probably be the same and, oh by the way, I’ve clocked the warehouse, one tour equals a mile around here. And, as I’ve said in previous posts, “steps is steps.” So now you’re shopping, exercising, lunching and dancing through your chores – nice!
What about that last minute wrapping? I remember (and still indulge in) a clever thing my Mom did that transformed that chore into a game of creative thinking rather than manual dexterity and precision: she encouraged us to add intriguing but cryptic messages to the gift tag – our goal was to tease and fool the recipients about the contents of the package. Go ahead, give it a try – just trying to think up new and clever messages wiles away the drudgery. And before you rush out for MORE wrapping supplies, how about using old newspapers and markers instead? You do the wrapping and let the kids do the doodling. Or, better still, vice versa…
But here’s the deal – however long your To-Do List is, don’t let it take-over your life. Instead, do what you can and have fun doing it.
Take Time to Play
And then, let your inner child out to play for real and embrace the joy of the season – you’re almost there… squeeze in some time to:
- Chat with a neighbor instead of just rushing on by…
- Lie down under the Christmas tree and look up at the lights…
- Stroll around the neighborhood in the evening to see the holiday decorations…
- Deliver baked goods to your neighbors…
- Build a snowman if you have snow…
- Bake your favorite holiday cookie recipe for YOU and then indulge yourself, skip dinner, have dessert!
Savor the gifts of the season… just think:
If “ifs” and “buts” were candy and nuts, wouldn’t it be a Merry Christmas?
— Don Meredith
Merry Christmas y’all.
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