Dear Friends,

Did you know that you can celebrate Christmas on any day if you choose? I have always told my son to not worry about coming to my home on December 25th. With their young family it is hard enough to get to of their parents home, much less all of them. So I have taken myself out of the chaotic mix. We can have our holiday celebration on Jan 5 or December 10. It just doesn’t matter at all to me.

I was talking to a friend of mine this morning and she informed me that she was staying home this Christmas. She decided that it was wrong to take her child away from the comforts of their home to run all over the country side attending 3 celebrations in one day. She had the idea to let her son enjoy Santa Claus and have her own celebration, cook all of her family’s favorite foods and spend the time with her family. She is not abandoning her extended family: just strengthening her immediate family by establishing a quiet and non-chaotic day. I told her it was a great idea. When we have children the object of the holiday is to celebrate it through a child’s eyes. Trying to please every member of your extended family is a losing battle. So don’t. Let it be your decision. December 25 is in the middle of the week. Use the weekends to visit the extended family. There is no reason that Christmas can’t be celebrated in babysteps. This makes it last much longer, especially in the eyes of a child. Maybe the 12 days of Christmas is not a bad ideal after all.

What about the Christmas Stocking? How many times have you felt left out that your stocking did not get filled? Everyone else was opening up their gifts (because you made sure there was something in their stocking and that is what Mothers do) and you were sitting there feeling sorry for yourself, almost MARTYRED! Well not this year sisters!

I have an assignment for you. You can do this how ever you choose. Me and my friend Michele are going to have a stocking exchange. We have picked out a date to swap stockings. Then Christmas morning we can unwrap all the little gifts in the stocking.  It gives you something to do instead of sitting around feeling bad!

Now here is the assignment! If you don’t have a friend that can fill your stocking, I want you to do it yourself! Just tell yourself that it is from FlyLady. After all it is because you love yourself enough to do this. Now you have an answer to the question that is bound to come up. “MOM where did you get all that stuff?”

So what are you going to put in your stocking? Well the first thing I can think of is chocolate. Then there is always a chick flick video or a pocket novel. Treat yourself to some things that you don’t normally buy for yourself. Go to the dollar store and you don’t have to spend a lot of money and it doesn’t have to be clutter: a pair of socks, a candle, a hanky, now you get the picture. Something that makes you smile: A little picture frame, a hairbrush, a lipstick a little flashlight for your car, a chap stick. Then you get to spend 15 minutes wrapping it for yourself. It is all in the presentation. I’ll bet you will be as surprised as anyone when you unwrap them. We tend to forget what was in which package. Now set yourself a little budget for this and go shopping for your stocking!

Have fun!!

FlyLady

We have everything you need to keep your home shining! Sometimes we need a little motivation. Our efficient tools give us a jump start! They make a tough job fun. If you make it fun; it will get done!