Wednesday's Words

The holidays are upon us and this year, I'm determined not to get stressed out. I'm planning ahead, shopping early, pacing myself. Don't you find that at times, there's so much to do around this time of year, that you don't find time to simply enjoy the season?

Well, this year, I am going to enjoy everything. I'll make time to go to holiday shows, see my niece's holiday chorus performance, decorate the house at my leisure, cook and bake in advance when I feel like it. It's taken me years to learn how to do this -- but I have a plan in action and it's working. I managed to gear down. I have nothing pressing to do workwise in December. I'm not killing myself finishing a deadline. I'm not going to teach classes after mid-December and I'm not going to do last minute shopping. My hubby has agreed. We're going to do late-night shopping at the malls to avoid the rush. We actually tried this last Friday night when our mall stayed open until 11PM. We went out at 8:30 and shopped without crowds and a big fuss until after 10PM. Most people aren't aware that our malls stay open very late during Christmas time, but it's the way to go.

I love to shop at unique places. A few weeks back I bought Christmas gifts in the scenic town of Ojai -- I found some great gift-buying ideas there and we lunched at a little English pub and had tea sandwiches. Very relaxing and fun. In the next few weeks, I plan on making a shopping trip to Solvang, a Swedish community that again, is a fun place to visit, eat and enjoy the wonderful Christmas atmosphere. They have wine-tasting cellars, great bakeries and shops you can't find anywhere else. That's my idea of mixing business with pleasure this holiday season. Hope you find a way to de-stress this holiday season as well. It makes all the difference!