My list of holiday awesome

I truly love the holidays! In theory, in spirit, and most of the time in reality.

Though like most people, I often have expectations and disappointment when everything doesn’t go right, and certainly there is stress mixed in as we try to get everything done by Santa’s deadline. (Which, for the record, is only 7 days away!)

This year, more than any other, I am enjoying the little moments and joys of the holiday season and looking forward to the big holi-days with anticipation. This newfound joy is directly related to the fact that I am healthier and happier all around. I am loving and celebrating my new self in a season that is all about gratitude, love, awe and wonder!

The truth is, I am so incredibly grateful for all I have been given this past year. And, it is manifesting itself in daily joy and wonder, and in extremely frequent shopping spree’s where I can’t seem to stop shopping – for myself and others! Ha! 🙂

Inspired by a little book I just picked up, “The Book of (Holiday) Awesome” by best-selling author Neil Pasricha, I decided to make my own list of holiday awesomeness and share it here.

Lori’s List of Holiday Awesome – 2012

• Celebrating our spirituality in the deepest sense
• Spending quiet time reflecting on what really matters and being grateful for all I have been given
• White twinkling lights
• The smell of fresh pine
• Spreading peace and joy in little ways throughout the season to complete strangers
• Honoring the things and the people who really matter; telling/showing them
• Planning parties, attending parties, and hosting parties
• Mistletoe – and actually taking advantage of it this year!
• Decorating the house for Christmas
• The first fresh blanket of snow
• Decorating the tree with all of the special ornaments I have been given or collected over the years – especially the hand-made ornament that is the cork from the bottle of champagne we cracked to celebrate -150 pounds on the top of Penobscot Mountain in Maine (thank you Karen Jurgenson)
• Watching Christmas movies with a friend in front of the crackling fire, candlelight and tree lights
• Being snowed in with no place to go
• Thinking of Grandma Hazel and our long talks at the kitchen table and special Christmas’ at her house…knowing she would be so proud of me if she were here today
• Learning of the holiday traditions of new friends in my life this year
• Belting out Christmas carols alone in the house, the shower and the car
• Viewing the holiday lights everywhere
• My first trip to Bentleyville!
• Shopping and wrapping gifts for my nieces and nephews
• Going to church on Christmas Eve with family
• Special holidays drinks
• Hosting the Marketing that Matters holiday party and pausing to take stock in the company I built 5 years ago that is now so much more than me
• Giving to Toys for Tots and other charities
• Going to dinner and the theatre to see a holiday show
• Shopping!
• Drinking Christmas tea (used to be egg nog)
• Drinking wine (used to be wine and still is!)
• Writing my annual holiday letter to remind myself and others of all the things I am grateful for this year
• Getting holiday cards in the mail and reading all of the newsy updates
• Anticipating and planning my first Christmas in Seattle to visit my sister
• Sitting in front of the tree on Christmas Eve just watching the lights in a quiet moment before the chaos ensues
• Getting dressed up in any number of new outfits that are in the smallest size I have ever worn
• Searching for special holiday dessert recipes without refined sugar and trying them out – my version of baking!
• Training with my trainer in the morning so I don’t feel as guilty if I go off plan that night 🙂
• Buying a new Christmas CD to add to the collection and discovering that special oldy but goody on Pandora
• Walking the neighborhood all bundled up in my new coat and hat to view the Christmas lights at night
• Watching my little nephews open their Christmas gifts
• Getting an extra good deal on a special gift for someone after you have already overspent your budget
• Staying in your PJ’s all day on Christmas Day
• Starting new holiday traditions to shake things up and keep it fun
• Giving clue presents to my nephew Jacob so he has to go on a treasure hunt to find his big gift
• Closing the office so everyone can have the week between Christmas and New Year’s off
• Surprising someone with a very special gift when they least expect it
• When my snow removal service comes in the middle of the night to plow the driveway after the street plow has come through and you awake to a clear driveway and don’t have to shovel out at the end
• Clear and dry roads for safe holiday travel
• When Christmas tree light is the only light in the room
• Overfilling the stockings on Christmas Eve/morning
• Feeling connected to the ones I love and am grateful for – whether they are near or far
• Getting my picture taken with Santa – I am thinking in Seattle!
• Anticipating my 2013 Resolution List – The Year of Firsts – I can’t wait (new blog coming on this topic)
• Deciding to keep the tree up until February just to enjoy the white lights a little longer

What’s on your list of Holiday Awesome this year? Making my list of holiday awesome was a great reminder of what I love and a break from any stress related to deadlines or pressure to get it all done. Try it. Please share your list here.

And happy, happy holidays my friends.

Lori

Feeling stressed this holiday?

Check out my blog on my TV appearance on Speak Your Mind, Duluth PBS, on Stress Reduction & Self Care.