Christmas time is here!

MERRY CHRISTMAS! Oh, how I love this time of year! The stress of the season, the family drama, the tons of money we spend without thought of repercussions to come with the January credit card bill – a wonderful time of year indeed! If you're like me, you need a break about now, but how to get one is the question.

I offer a bit of advice that I read on another site and post it here for all of us. It's great advice and I encourage each and every one of you to heed it, if you need to. It's not worth getting your panties in a bunch over the stress of the holidays. Save that for the New Year when the bills come in! LOL

By Sven Gustafson 

  The holidays aren’t always full of joy and merriment for everyone.
With all the parties, family gatherings, anxiety over seeing the uncle who drinks too much, and pressure to cook, clean, buy gifts for everyone and mail out photo cards of your family, stress and depression can easily cloud out the holiday spirit. (Throw a child’s birthday in the mix and it’s easy to feel consumed by the month of December, lemme tell ya.)
But have no fear, we’ve got tips on how to stay above the fray this holiday season:

1. Go for a run. Or walk briskly, or snowshoe if there’s snow. Lift weights or chop wood if that’s your thing. Just exercise to burn off the stress (and extra Christmas cookies), will ya?
2. Find a way to relax, be it through yoga, meditation, taking time to read a book, (MINE!) or by treating yourself to a massage.
3. Keep focused on what’s important. It’s not vital to make the perfect fruit cake or follow the family traditions of making a back-breaking Christmas dinner every year. Sure, it’s nice to eat great food, but the holidays are more about gathering with family or friends, affirming your faith and enjoying the company of others. It’s OK to look for shortcuts.
4. Set a budget. In my family, we often make it clear beforehand that there will be gifts only for the children, not the adults. It helps to keep costs from spiraling out of control. And to remember that money and gifts don’t make Christmas or Hanukkah magical.
5. Look for opportunities to break the mold and enjoy a non-traditional holiday season. It’s been a while for me, but I have fond memories of enjoying Christmas Eve while camping or with a group of friends in a city where I don’t usually spend the holidays. Or look for opportunities to volunteer on Christmas Day. Sometimes it’s rejuvenating to break out of the norm.

Like I said, good advice!

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and I look forward to bringing you more news in the New Year! 2012 is the year of the Ghostkiller......stay tuned!

Til then I wish you love, peace and frybread grease!

Lynny Prince