First things First...
I truly hope everyone had a Happy Holiday filled with Lots of Love.... And....
The Holidays and What does it all mean...
And... Is it a blissful fun time or a rush... rush... rush... Stressful time....
So... let me start with... Years ago... I was a Christmas and or any Holiday Nut, all the Presents, Wrapping paper, Decorations, Food, People etc... etc... etc...
Then Years passed and I truly started to on some level resent
the whole Shopping industry, commercials etc...
WHY ?
Here are some of the Why's...
It seems to me that the way we treat people on the Holidays Would be the same way we treat people all Year Round... It is about the People, the interaction, the Love, NOT the Gifts and the Holiday Commercial Hype that Just for 12/23 Pre Xmas or 12/26 Post Xmas 50% off sale etc...
However...
Most people tend to mostly gather, talk, gift etc... on Holidays and or Birthdays...
So... I started to rebel and did the following:
I choose to NOT participate in the Holidays in the traditional ways...
***It first started with the Wrapping paper Carly Strike LOL...
I always thought even when I was a Holiday nut that wrapping paper was such a waste... So, to save on paper and for the sake of the trees, I would take presents and buy the regular brown paper bags with handles that could be reused and or recycled, decorate them, and put the present in Unwrapped and just use one sheet of Tissue paper to stuff the bag so there would some element of Surprise. And... I also would ask for a List of Suggested Gifts wanted to ensure that people actually got what they really needed and or wanted...
***Then, I started Choosing to see my Friends and or Family days and or even weeks before the Holiday, so that I could actually spend some Quality time with them, because otherwise on the Actual Holidays there was soooo many people, and the cooking, rushing, organizing that I never really got to spend any ACTUAL QUALITY time with the people I wanted to...
And... OMG the Traffic, the Airports...
By the time you arrive at your destination, you are stressed...
Now to me... Holidays are not about Stress and rushing...
***Then... I wanted to change the Actual Annual tradition of sending out all of these cards with stamps that seemed so Automatic instead of personal...
So, instead I would send Self-Made fun photo collages and story board videos via email and yes a few actually got mailed for those who were either ill and or older who did not do email... and also follow up with a Live phone call and in person visit - the visit however would take place before or after the Holidays to allow quality time...
Now lets get to the Actual Holidays Itself...
How to have a Stress Free, not running around with your head cut off Holiday...
Think of your Holiday Gathering as Running a Production... You need to assign people assignments and have everything literally on a time schedule... there is nothing worse than last minute running around, and certain foods not being done on time etc...
***Be Crystal clear with your Guests, what they ARE or are NOT bringing and how you want it when it arrives... Cold, Hot, Sliced, Read to go etc...
***Key Also have a Crystal Clear ARRIVAL time... There is nothing worse than people arriving early while you are still attempting to set up and finishing cooking and clean up in the kitchen etc...
Understandably, there will be some people that arrive late... Traffic, last minute something... Again, just ask your guests to let you know if they are running late etc... Common Courtesy to Your Host and the other guests... They May CHOOSE to wait till Your Late comers arrive to start eating.
Now this is a MUST:
***Hire at LEAST ONE person whose ONLY job is to clean up the entire evening... So, YOU the Host - are actually open, worry free and available to be with your guests...
***KEY... It is the Holidays after all... - Invite the people you Hire to actually (after all of the Logistics are taken care of) SIT down at the table with YOU and Eat... then after eating they can go back to their job... And... Pay them Well...
The Holidays can be an amazing, beautiful, warm, Loving time... However...
Yes... it does take some effort, time, planning and logistics... So why not make it easy on yourself and others by putting some effort into organizational logistics part of it, it makes for a much more fun, smooth running gathering...
Happy Holidays Everyone...
Enjoy the Journey...
End of this One and the Beginning of a New One...
2013
Another Midnight Production
