Let's revisit some characteristics of December energy because last week you were deep in Thanksgiving energy and you may have missed a few things I suggested planning. Do we all agree the energy has shifted? Even though the calendar still says November, we're all in December!
After the Big Meal
The dishes have been cleaned and the company has gone home. Now what? You have a couple of days before you return to your normal weekly routines. Now is the time to plan so you can be a proactive holiday person instead of reactive. This is the time to prevent stress and over spending. It's never about all the things we need to do. It's the order in which we do them, when we do them, and the energy we have when we do them. I want to start to focus on what needs to be done to set up this audience for success on Saturday and Sunday or these situations when we have unique pockets of time. Here's the plan to set you up for success as we go into December!
Before You Unpack the Holiday Decor
Let's plan decorating your home for December. What does it look like, smell like, and taste like in your home during December? Remember how we asked our family what they'd like for Thanksgiving? Do the same for December. My family told me it was all about lights for them. So a few years ago I just put up what I wanted and lots of lights. I thought for sure they'd remember a certain item so I kept everything. But no. And the next year the same. But the dread I felt knowing I had tubs of decor I didn't want to use put a damper on wanting to decorate. After Christmas that second year of not putting out as much I convinced myself to donate all the extras…even childhood items. I felt an epic amount of guilt. But that next year when I went to get out the decorations all I felt was relief!! I went from trying to fulfill non-existent family expectations to minimally decorating to donating extras and decorating in record time. But now is the time or you'll blink and it'll be the Monday before Christmas!
And now is the time to shop! I shop now because the lists are ever changing. This prevents me from spending in September and December thus going over budget. Lots of time the prices go down or you get better deals like bundles. It's less time that I have to hide what I bought although this year Organize 365® is the delivery address of choice so I (and all employees) don't have to hide anything. And this is the shopping energy season. Everyone else is shopping and I love to shop so naturally I want to be shopping too! This is also the time to stock up on cards and gift cards for global gifts for people like your babysitter, teachers, amazon delivery people, your house keeper, trash collectors, and etc.
Winter Break
This is the time of year I normally plan one big outing and a couple of smaller outings. You'll all be home and the kids will be looking for something to do and you probably don't want to spend a bazillion dollars. You can still sleep in, I am just encouraging you to plan something each day. Usually the most fun times come from someone planning it. You can plan an activity or goal each day. I shared how I planned my extra time in episode 683. I want you to revisit it and think about how you could best provide some self care? When the break is over you will feel like you made memories, accomplished a few goals, and ready for January.
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