Putting the "Happy" Back Into "Happy Holidays"

When Did We Stop Enjoying the Holidays?

Whether we want to admit it or not, the holiday season is upon us. It's not just the Christmas decorations that were next to the Halloween decorations at my local Target that clued me into this fact. If I had any doubt, I just had to look in my mailbox. Along with the catalogs hawking gifts, there are postcards from the postal service encouraging us to take advantage of flat rate boxes to mail packages from home instead of waiting in line at the post office.

This got me wondering. When did we stop enjoying the holidays? When did it become drudgery instead of the "hap-happiest season of all?"

I think we've been duped. I think Martha, mixed with a little competitiveness amongst women, has caused us to have unrealistic expectations of what we "should" do during the holidays. I think we are still trying to replicate the holidays from our childhoods without considering the realities of our adulthoods.

But, I also think we've been conditioned to be stressed out about the holidays. Everywhere you look there are images and articles about how stressful the holidays are for us.

Enough already! This year, I pledge to enjoy myself throughout the holiday season.

Raise your right hand and repeat after me:
"I, (insert your name here), promise to enjoy myself this holiday season. I will only do what I want and have time to do and let other people carry their own holiday baggage. I will use cash to pay for my gifts so that I won't feel guilty about blowing my budget. And, most of all, I will sing holiday music as loudly and as off key as I want to."

Creating Space for the Holidays Tele-retreat

One of the reasons we often feel overwhelmed during this time of year is that we forget that we need to create space for the holidays.

Give the first gift of the holidays to yourself by joining us for this short 3-hour tele-retreat* where we will find ways to create mental, emotional, and physical space in order to put the happy back into the holidays. At the end of this retreat, you will be excited, organized, energized, and eager to belt out a chorus or two of "Happy Holidays" with Andy Williams.

Details:
When: Saturday, December 1st
Time: 8:00-11:00 PACIFIC STANDARD TIME
Cost: $25 before Black Friday; $35 after Nov. 23rd
Special: Know someone who might want to participate, too? Register together and you will each get $5 off the registration fee.

To Register: Send an email to me at julie(at)newprofessormentor.com letting me know you want to participate.

*What is a tele-retreat? Everyone calls in to a conference call at the top of the hour and we talk and share just as if we were sitting in the same room. Then, we hang up and do an assignment. At the designated time, everyone comes back and we share some more. It sounds a little far fetched, but it surprisingly powerful. And the benefit is that you don't have to go anywhere. You call in form wherever you are! You have nothing to lose but lots to gain from giving it a try.

It's time to enjoy the holiday season again