Here are a few of the things I've learned along the way
1. Skip some of the side dishes. If I serve certain things every other year, my kids will still remember them as being part of our tradition. Some years I skip the Sweet Potatoes w/Marshmallows, others I skip the Green Bean Casserole. Fortunately my family is great at dining pot luck style and if several different siblings or in-laws each bring similar items, so what. No one really cares that the meal is balanced out. We always have plenty of food!
2. Meet with your family and make a list of the 1 holiday tradition they don't want to miss this year. I let each child pick one and then we make sure to follow through. Often this is the Holiday Light Fantasia in Goodwin Park, other years it may be a trip to NYC to see the tree in Rockefeller Center and the holiday window displays. This frees up some other traditions that I carry on for no particular reason - time to release them.
3. Shopping Shortcuts. I like shopping for one 2-3 hour stint during the season to feel part of the excitement and enjoy the store decorations. That's it. One day for a couple of hours. I am not talented with selecting the perfect items for everyone on my list. In years past that means I've easily purchased 90% of my holiday gifts online. Everything comes delivered to my door with a gift receipt included. However, this method always left a twinge of guilt because I do truly believe in Shopping Local. This year I pledge to shop local for at least 50% of my items.
Shopping Local - what does it look like?
Strolling a small downtown that is not littered with chain stores is a dream compared to hitting the mall. Downtown Middletown or Niantic, CT, for the local folks, offers great boutiques. Recently I visited Saratoga Springs which would be an ideal Holiday Stroll.
However, visiting an Open House full of gifts or enjoying a night out with some friends while we learn about a worthy company and how they help the community is also a great way to do local shopping while enjoying the warm social atmosphere of the holidays. As I've learned this year the direct selling business model relies on neighbors helping neighbors. It is built on relationships. Every company I've recently learned about (Norwex, Ava Anderson, Younique, Mary Kay, Arbonne and many more) are the types of companies that I am proud to frequent. They generally have transparent business practices that embody everything I'm looking for when shopping local.
So lets look forward to a stress-free season.
