Thanksgiving is over and a lot of us are getting geared up for a month of holiday fun! The reality of the holiday seasons can sometimes be a lot more challenging:

“Oh, all this stress I have to deal with! I work, have kids and I don’t have the time or money to prepare everything. It’s not only the cost of food, but the gifts are hard on my budget as well! Everything is on my shoulders!”

Whether being a host or a guest during the Holidays, predictably, I have been overwhelmed with busyness. I have typically felt frustrated most of December from unfulfilled expectations.

Now, as a life coach, I have taught myself to focus on making each holiday the most fun and stress-free ever!

How do I do it?

Here are a few simple tools I’d recommend:

1. Have realistic expectations

A lot of holidays have been unnecessarily stressful due to my unrealistically high expectations for myself and others! When I realized this, I asked myself:

“Who am I trying to impress? Why am I doing this to myself? Who dictates what is perfect? Who sets the rules?” And finally: “Is this the role model that I want to set for a wonderful tradition? Do I want my own family to watch Mom stress around all month without taking time to really enjoy the beautiful time together?”

A lot of what we do is what we think is required or expected of us. In reality, these are expectations we put on ourselves or are conditioned to believe are important. I decided:

“I am the hostess; I set the rules and I want to make traditions that I love. I want to be able to enjoy the fun as well.”

And after thinking about my expectations with myself, I let go of all my expectations for what others around me were supposed to do. This way, I was often positively surprised because I let go of controlling everything and others’ actions as well.

2. Set your intentions

On December 1st I set my intention, that this month will be a fun-filled and eventful month. And it will be relaxing and wonderful, because I get to spend time with the people I dearly care about. For those I can’t see because of distance, I set the intention that we will send each other beautiful cards or letters with personal messages or small gifts, or a long phone call for those abroad. These acts demonstrate we care and think about each other. In the heart, distance doesn’t matter.

3. Plan ahead

I prioritize and make a detailed plan for the major events during the month. I write down every detail, so that I don’t have to worry about forgetting them during the almost inevitable chaos of the event. I post the lists on the fridge and cross things off as they are completed. It’s a great feeling to finish the preparations as the holidays near!
Additionally, I try to take off a day from work to devote for gift shopping and preparation. A half a day may suffice, if I’ve decided on the gifts ahead of time.

4. Let others help you

Delegate, delegate and delegate! Any task or preparation I can delegate to someone else, I gladly give to them! My son and my husband take care of the outdoor decorations; a friend of mine picks up some of the food I ordered; and my kids love to wrap the gifts (not their own of course!). Those of our guests coming from nearby are given tasks, such as bringing ingredients for meals or helping out during the preparation. Someone even walks my dog! The past few years, I have had time for a leisurely shower and to dress up, which is a tradition in our home.

I personally don’t like to cook for large groups, so my friends and my husband do that. I love to decorate, so it is my job to set the table, light all the candles and provide the music!

When the whole house is buzzing from talk and happy energy, everybody feels useful and part of the responsibility of making this a wonderful event. Nobody wants to be a burden for the hostess and the host. If guests stay for several days (as often is the case with family) the same principle applies. I delegate and let them know where everything is; they take care of themselves between the main meals!

5. Give thoughtful gifts

When it comes to gifts, I suggest that each guest brings one small gift for the family, not for each individual. I encourage everybody to give smaller but more thoughtful and fun gifts. You might even set a value limit, say $20. Less is often more!

Some of the better suggestions I have heard from friends and family are:
• A homemade card or drawing with beautiful heartfelt words of appreciation
• A nicely framed photo or one wrapped for me to frame myself
• A CD with a slide show of pictures from the past year is great fun
• Houseplants or long-lived garden plants
• Un-clutter your own home – very often pieces of bric-a-brac, art or furniture are appreciated by others

My daughter is a singer/songwriter. Today I told her that my biggest wish for my gift this year is to have a framed copy of the music chart and lyrics for my favorite song of hers to hang in our piano room. She’s written many songs in that room. This gift will be cherished. It’s inexpensive, yet priceless for a proud Mom like me!

6. Take time to enjoy the season spirit

Now that I’ve decided to enjoy the month and let things unroll and unwrap the way they are supposed to, I can really appreciate the wonderful holiday traditions. For me the holiday always turns out to be a magical and wonderful time spent with friends and family.

7. Give yourself a boost of positive energy

If you feel like taking some time off to recharge and become immersed in the holiday mood, I am offering a wonderful workshop called:

Enjoy the Holiday Spirit
with the Angels and Helle

Wednesday December 17th from 6:30 to 9 PM
At The Centre for LStress and the Holidays by Helle Brisson
12-01-2008

Thanksgiving is over and a lot of us are getting geared up for a month of holiday fun! The reality of the holiday seasons can sometimes be a lot more challenging:

“Oh, all this stress I have to deal with! I work, have kids and I don’t have the time or money to prepare everything. It’s not only the cost of food, but the gifts are hard on my budget as well! Everything is on my shoulders!”

Whether being a host or a guest during the Holidays, predictably, I have been overwhelmed with busyness. I have typically felt frustrated most of December from unfulfilled expectations.

Now, as a life coach, I have taught myself to focus on making each holiday the most fun and stress-free ever!

How do I do it?

Here are a few simple tools I’d recommend:

1. Have realistic expectations

A lot of holidays have been unnecessarily stressful due to my unrealistically high expectations for myself and others! When I realized this, I asked myself:

“Who am I trying to impress? Why am I doing this to myself? Who dictates what is perfect? Who sets the rules?” And finally: “Is this the role model that I want to set for a wonderful tradition? Do I want my own family to watch Mom stress around all month without taking time to really enjoy the beautiful time together?”

A lot of what we do is what we think is required or expected of us. In reality, these are expectations we put on ourselves or are conditioned to believe are important. I decided:

“I am the hostess; I set the rules and I want to make traditions that I love. I want to be able to enjoy the fun as well.”

And after thinking about my expectations with myself, I let go of all my expectations for what others around me were supposed to do. This way, I was often positively surprised because I let go of controlling everything and others’ actions as well.

2. Set your intentions

On December 1st I set my intention, that this month will be a fun-filled and eventful month. And it will be relaxing and wonderful, because I get to spend time with the people I dearly care about. For those I can’t see because of distance, I set the intention that we will send each other beautiful cards or letters with personal messages or small gifts, or a long phone call for those abroad. These acts demonstrate we care and think about each other. In the heart, distance doesn’t matter.

3. Plan ahead

I prioritize and make a detailed plan for the major events during the month. I write down every detail, so that I don’t have to worry about forgetting them during the almost inevitable chaos of the event. I post the lists on the fridge and cross things off as they are completed. It’s a great feeling to finish the preparations as the holidays near!
Additionally, I try to take off a day from work to devote for gift shopping and preparation. A half a day may suffice, if I’ve decided on the gifts ahead of time.

4. Let others help you

Delegate, delegate and delegate! Any task or preparation I can delegate to someone else, I gladly give to them! My son and my husband take care of the outdoor decorations; a friend of mine picks up some of the food I ordered; and my kids love to wrap the gifts (not their own of course!). Those of our guests coming from nearby are given tasks, such as bringing ingredients for meals or helping out during the preparation. Someone even walks my dog! The past few years, I have had time for a leisurely shower and to dress up, which is a tradition in our home.

I personally don’t like to cook for large groups, so my friends and my husband do that. I love to decorate, so it is my job to set the table, light all the candles and provide the music!

When the whole house is buzzing from talk and happy energy, everybody feels useful and part of the responsibility of making this a wonderful event. Nobody wants to be a burden for the hostess and the host. If guests stay for several days (as often is the case with family) the same principle applies. I delegate and let them know where everything is; they take care of themselves between the main meals!

5. Give thoughtful gifts

When it comes to gifts, I suggest that each guest brings one small gift for the family, not for each individual. I encourage everybody to give smaller but more thoughtful and fun gifts. You might even set a value limit, say $20. Less is often more!

Some of the better suggestions I have heard from friends and family are:
• A homemade card or drawing with beautiful heartfelt words of appreciation
• A nicely framed photo or one wrapped for me to frame myself
• A CD with a slide show of pictures from the past year is great fun
• Houseplants or long-lived garden plants
• Un-clutter your own home – very often pieces of bric-a-brac, art or furniture are appreciated by others

My daughter is a singer/songwriter. Today I told her that my biggest wish for my gift this year is to have a framed copy of the music chart and lyrics for my favorite song of hers to hang in our piano room. She’s written many songs in that room. This gift will be cherished. It’s inexpensive, yet priceless for a proud Mom like me!

6. Take time to enjoy the season spirit

Now that I’ve decided to enjoy the month and let things unroll and unwrap the way they are supposed to, I can really appreciate the wonderful holiday traditions. For me the holiday always turns out to be a magical and wonderful time spent with friends and family.

7. Give yourself a boost of positive energy

If you feel like taking some time off to recharge and become immersed in the holiday mood, I am offering a wonderful workshop called:

Enjoy the Holiday Spirit
with the Angels and Helle

Wednesday December 17th from 6:30 to 9 PM
At The Centre for Life.

At the workshop, I will be addressing some of the topics mentioned above. I’ll give you a pre-holiday spiritual boost, as we do the most wonderful angel meditation accompanied by harp music. We will reaffirm our intentions for the holidays ahead and enjoy some holiday treats together. For more details and to reserve a place, please go to:
www.hellebrisson.com or e-mail Helle: hellebrisson@yahoo.com

The price for this inspirational and fun workshop is only $65 and includes beverages and finger food. Space is limited so register now. Pre-registration is necessary.
I offer a free deck of Doreen Virtues’ wonderful Angel Oracle Cards to the first ten persons to register (represents a value of $15.95 each!).

Best wishes for a joyful holiday and a Happy 2009 from all of us at The Centre for Life!

Helle Brisson, Life Coach and Angel Therapy Practitioner®, certified by Dr. Doreen Virtue.
ife.

At the workshop, I will be addressing some of the topics mentioned above. I’ll give you a pre-holiday spiritual boost, as we do the most wonderful angel meditation accompanied by harp music. We will reaffirm our intentions for the holidays ahead and enjoy some holiday treats together. For more details and to reserve a place, please go to:
www.hellebrisson.com or e-mail Helle: hellebrisson@yahoo.com

The price for this inspirational and fun workshop is only $65 and includes beverages and finger food. Space is limited so register now. Pre-registration is necessary.
I offer a free deck of Doreen Virtues’ wonderful Angel Oracle Cards to the first ten persons to register (represents a value of $15.95 each!).

Best wishes for a joyful holiday and a Happy 2009 from all of us at The Centre for Life!