Smiling Your Way Through Christmas and New Years

It is so hard for some people to do this! This time of the year can bring on some very different attitudes. It took Scrooge his entire past, present and future to see that it isn't what you are seeing but how you're looking at it :).
Things are moving so fast sometimes we barely get a glimpse of the speeding train that hits us. Remember that you can't make memories if you don't remember them. Even the bad memories have some incredibly wonderful lessons in them!
Start the season out on the right foot! Make putting up the tree a family affair! This year I will not have family here so I helped a friend and her family with their tree. 
Take the time to reflect everyday on how great the day has REALLY been.. laugh at yourself and with others, briefly imagine how somethings could have come out differently, but don't dwell as they are done and in the can! Sleep, Eat, Laugh, Reflect, Regroup.... sometimes we get sooo busy we forget to do these 5 very crucial things! Are We Having Fun Yet? and sometimes we forget these five very important words.
I personally hate to shop! So in order to have fun with this I must partake in very short sessions between 2 fun things. Football, baking, dancing, and church  have been great for me for this :).   Today will be blogging and trivia with my friends with some last minute shopping in between!
Last minute gifts.. do not stress yourself out.. I stick with last minute staples: small bottles of your own favorite new perfume, favorite books that you have read this year, Craftsman tools, movie tickets, or of course you can just buy Visa gift cards they can use anywhere, these are good as extra gifts and if you don't use them as gifts you get to use them yourself.
Reward yourself for finishing tasks! A piece of chocolate, a glass of wine .... I chose time at the beach :).  For every task I finish, I add 10 minutes to time that I can spend at the beach. This could be time in the sauna, time in the bathtub, time toward a date with your spouse, minutes toward a massage.... something that you need to give yourself as a gift (a true reward)! For every dollar you spend, put away a dollar. This will keep you from the worry of how much you've spent and allow you to breathe when the rush is over. Don't just use the money on bills, put this away.. you can use some of it for your reward and not feel defeated when the wrapping is discarded.
Don't forget the importance of just spending time with people.. whether it be loved ones, friends, acquaintances or just volunteering to help strangers in need. We all need a little human touch.

Last but not least. New Year's Eve is just that!! It is a celebration of the coming new year and not a memorial for the one passing! If you don't have one, create your own ritual.. No matter where I am at midnight on New Year's Eve, I jump forward! I jump into the new year and leave the old one on the ground behind me :). I set forth resolutions that I know I can keep and use them to expand on throughout the year to constantly be looking forward and upward.
No matter where you are in your walk in life you are always and will always be a work in progress :) But with each passing year you get better at it. Again. Sleep, Eat, Laugh, Reflect, Regroup... Are We Having Fun Yet?

Action = Satisfaction!

It is difficult to see the mess when you are standing in the middle of it! It's even harder to figure out where to start! Some of us need to talk it out.. and this is ok as long as the person listening is receptive. Once you have formulated a solution and the steps needed to reach it, Take Action!!!
It is frustrating when a person complains about a problem and then works it out and does nothing! We are all guilty of this at some point in time in our lives!  Some of us just need to prep an outline and some need to have the entire process drawn out! It doesn't matter what it takes just find a solution and take the first step. Don't be afraid to fail because you can always reformulate and restart!