• The largest gingerbread man in the world is a dieter’s nightmare, weighing in at a whopping 466 pounds, six ounces.  The Gingerbread House, in Rochester, Minnesota, baked the giant cookie on February 21, 2006.
• An average of 5,800 people end up in the ER after suffering injuries from holiday decorating.
• Dreaming of a green Christmas? Household waste increases by 25 percent between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. In the United States, trash from wrapping paper and shopping bags totals 4 million tons.

YIKES!

As 2014 quickly comes to a close, and the holiday season is upon us, it is both a magical and busy time of year. Spending time with family and friends near and far, watching the sparkle in our children’s eyes, indulging in delicious food and drink, getting cozy in the warmth of a fireplace, and the possibility of snow… It’s easy to see how we can get swept away in the magic. Yet, for some of us, the holiday season can also bring moments of stress and anxiety.  How will we possibly find time around work schedules and daily routines to tackle the necessary prep and planning, gift giving, cooking, cleaning, and decorating?  The list goes on and on. We can easily become overwhelmed and the magic quickly dissolves. Knowing these feelings are inevitable, I sit and ask myself, how I can avoid the the stress and truly experience the joy of the holiday season?

Delegate: I have learned that it is perfectly acceptable to ask for help from family and friends. You and I don’t have to do everything and they want to help.  Some of our greatest and most joyful memories are created in the process of sharing responsibilities with others.  Take a moment now to fill in the blank for yourself:  “Remember that time when….?”

Realistic: Yes, there is a plan in place, but recognizing that things will most likely not turn out exactly as you planned.  Accepting that things will happen and being OK with that, is freeing.

Expectations: Opening the mind to accept change and new traditions. In many cases we’re mixing 2 or more families with traditions of their own.  Rather than thinking negatively and/or stressing about how to combine all these traditions, it’s a way of refreshing what has always been.

Acknowledge: Know when to step away. Take a break.  Breathe.  Put your feet up and rest. Taking some personal time to unwind walking, reading, listening to music, or maybe even treating yourself to a massage can help you reset, relax, and enjoy the….

......Moments:  Enjoy and hold on to each and every one….because this is where the magic lives.