We are already coming into the Christmas crunch as you may be noticing!

I wanted to remind you that much of making Christmas special for your family is a matter of planning, making your plan a priority in a realistic way and setting boundaries.

Setting boundaries may be one of the most important aspects.

Too much of anything is a sure way to make Christmas the time of year we all dread rather than a time to enjoy and create the special memories that our children will cherish when they are grown and raising children of their own.

1 – SIMPLIFY ACTIVITIES

The first test to determine whether or not you are stepping out of your boundaries is to be aware of and to respect your own reaction.

Ask yourself before you commit, is this something that I really want to do?

Obviously there are going to be things, a fair number that you can’t refuse, but there are often those nagging activities that are optional.

2 – SIMPLIFY GIFT GIVING

We don’t have to keep up with the Jones’s anymore.

As a matter of fact, most of them are simplifying Christmas too.

It’s the in thing!

We are realizing that as most of us have been saying for years, it’s all too much and the only people really benefiting from overdoing Christmas are the big box stores.

And remember, if you are buying mom and pop or handmade/home business – this is a gift in itself not only to the owners who truly depend on and appreciate the business, but to yourself as you support sustainability of society at a grassroots level – that would be you and me big picture.

If you know of someone that sells something you would like to give, go to their website or call them and ask them if they do gift certificates – I am going to be doing a lot of that where I can.

Children can be overwhelmed by too much and in the end do not see the value or appreciate things as much if there is ‘too much’. Make it special by making it a point to know their true interests and desires and pinpointing something truly special to them.

Young children are a little different as they do truly delight in opening gifts. The nice thing is that they don’t necessarily have to be expensive.

But as children get older, it doesn’t hurt to teach them about quality vs quantity, mindfulness and gratitude for the little things. You know your family and what you can give them in the form of gifts and in the form of love and experience – keep that in mind when you are choosing.

There is an abundance of simple gifts that can be made, coupons for services, notes and letters that can be a treasure in years ahead and an inspiration in the present and family experiences that can be created in place of expensive gifts. Explore this option fully before saying ‘charge it’!.

3 – SIMPLIFY DINNER

If you have Christmas dinner at home, be sure to plan well ahead and try to get what ever you can done before hand

Get help if you can. If you have a friend or two, team up and do some bulk baking/freezer cooking and swap.

You can enjoy this Christmas Season by thinking ‘outside of the box’.

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