December 19, 2016
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Delicious, delightful and doable holidays.  You can have the best holidays you have ever had with a few pointers.  Since I have been writing the ANNUAL No Stress Holiday Tips for 17 years I do know a thing or two about how to do this.  The question is…are you willing, this year, to have delicious, delightful and doable holidays in spite of the fact that you will be with Aunt Martha with the lumpy gravy?
Mindset and beliefs are what can make your holidays miserable and hard to anticipate without a negative attitude.  If you can move one inch toward removing the negative stories about the people you share the holidays with, you will move the joy a mile.
Aunt Martha has made lumpy gravy for 30 years and you still are mad about it.  Really?  Welcome her in like she is a terrific person; eat the gravy and tell her how important she is to you.  It will make you feel great!!
Let the kids help.  Buy extra tape and do not get nervous about how much they use.  It is tape.  Release the need to instruct and give them the kids scissors; colored construction paper and a table with newspapers covering it and let them create works of art.  Do not forget extra tape.  Of this I have much experience.
Give the people in your lives your time as a gift. Write a simple note on any kind of paper with any kind of pen and tell them you would enjoy being with them in the new year. Lunch, car wash, babysitting, target shooting, baking, cleaning out the garage, decluttering their office. Give of your time and yourself. It is priceless.
BREATHE. When the family member who drives you crazy shows up, breathe. Deep frequent breaths. It will help to alleviate your negative attitude and allow your body to stay calm and reasonable. 
Hold a sleeping baby. It’s that simple. A sleeping baby is warm, cuddly, relaxed and perfectly happy to be with you. No expectations. Just a relaxing moment or two breathing and letting it all go.
Remember the service providers in your lives. Money is nice, but it money is tight write them a thank you note. Trust me, they will really appreciate you taking the time to say thank you.
Allow yourself to easily review this year and easily move into the new year. Negative mind chatter needs to get gone. You are really pretty terrific when you let yourself believe it. 
Forgive the mistakes. Pump up the dreams. Hold hands. Big hugs. Hum to the songs around you. Hand wash dishes. Sit on the porch with someone special. 

Christmas comes during a season when the Earth is in its darkest time. It's a holiday for the family and for everyone. Melissa Etheridge
 
Sharing the holiday with other people, and feeling that you're giving of yourself, gets you past all the commercialism. Caroline Kennedy
 
A Grateful Heart by M.J. Ryan is a tool to help readers reclaim and enrich the tradition of pausing before the evening meal to give thanks. Drawing from a range of religious and cultural practices, these 365 blessings celebrate friendship, love, peace, reconciliation, the body, nature, joy, and appreciation of the moment. This illustrated feast for the mind includes quotations from Martin Luther King Jr., Thich Nhat Hanh, Gandhi, Rumi, Mother Teresa, Helen Keller, Denise Levertov, the Bible, and the Tao Te Ching. Click here.
P.S. The annual list of No Stress Holiday Tips is my gift to you because I care and because I truly know you can have wonderful, stress free holidays. Not only that…you deserve to have stress free holidays. Download your copy here. 
To your success,






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Natalie Manor & Associates · 2441-Q Old Fort Parkway #322 · Murfreesboro, TN 37128-4162 · USA