Attitude...

I forgot that I had saved this and planned to embellish a little...oops!

{ Christmas} ATTITUDE


1. From Melanie : Just breathe.

2. From Nicole : A tip on organizing and simplifying that I have for the holidays is to remember how blessed you are and that many others will go without during the holiday season. With that in mind, my children and I are cleaning and organizing so that we may give some of our used things away to those in need and this year we will also give away some new things we receive at Christmas.

3. From Cami : My favorite holiday tip is to choose what activities make Christmas for you and which ones might be avoided due to time issues. I choose not to bake - I would rather create homemade gifts from paper than flour. Why stress?

4. From Ingrid : What I have realized over the years is that the actual task of organizing can become out of control itself! That is to say, my type A personality gets carried away with the act of organizing and I fail to enjoy the experience that I am trying to control. Sooooo, I have challenged myself to eliminate the excess and focus on the meaningful things - and not to feel pressure to do whatever other families (or magazines) are doing. Children care more about their parents being "in the now" than meeting manufactured expectations anyway. When I think back to my own childhood (enough, but not abundant), it's the music, food, traditions and simple decorations that resonate all these years later. Pick a few things and do them with love and beauty - you and your family will be the better for it!

5. From Amanda : I just don't make a big deal of the holidays. I chose to focus on the feelings of the holidays as opposed to the "stuff". This makes simplifying and enjoying your holiday really easy.

6. From Tobi-Lynn : cut back - cut back - cut back...that is my hope this year - cut back on my expectations, cut back on how much I try to cram in, cut back on money spending, cut back on doing what I think everyone else wants and focus on my family and the joy of Christmas!

7. From Sharri : As my 3 children have gotten older and our families have extended through marriages and births, I have decided to let it go. Christmas can be any day of the year. For us it happens whenever we can all be together (or most of us anyway). Simetimes thats Thanksgiving, other times it's New Years or later. But that's okay, because Christmas is family and traditions and remembering the birth of Christ, not what or how much food there is, or who gets the most presents or even which grandparents house to go to this year. We are all happier and more relaxed, and that always makes for less stressful holidays.

8. From Suzanna : Leave out Hallmark and all the other marketing gimmicks and look for true meaning. It's not about lists and tasks, it's about family and spirit.

9. From Amanda : My favorite thing to do to "simplify" the holidays is to focus on family and not so much on gifts. My philosophy is that ten years down the road, my son won't remember the super cool video game we bought him - but he will remember the fun family things we did together and the traditions that we pass down to him. Which is the best gift of all, right?

10. From Jeanne : At 60, I have finally learned how to simplify the holidays. It's a simple change in attitude. I no longer care if there is dust, or the meal isn't exactly perfect, or gifts aren't just so. What I care about is being surrounded by family. To have that chance to touch my child who has been away at college, to look into the eyes of the man who knows me so well. To share time with those I love so dearly.