Holi-daze

I know the holidays are fast approaching, so I'm taking a moment to follow the advice of Atlanta lifestyle guru Christine Eisner. Her mantra: Take time to "stop and smell the holly."

Here's an excerpt from a recent email I got from her. You can find more ideas at her Lifestyle Design web site.

"I hope you’re well and finding the time to ‘Stop and Smell the Holly’ – which was actually the title of the talk I just did last weekend at The Sanctuary on Kiawah. I’m going to give you the Cliff Notes edition. So, here is my gift to you -- ideas for a more balanced holiday season:
 
Stop and Smell the Holly:
Think of a branch of holly and the contrast of the berries and the prickly leaves. 
Ideally there should be balance in the holidays as well as in our lives and our homes.  This time of year takes extra time and effort, but also allows for memories and joys that are unique to this Season. The idea is to find the balance between the two - between ‘people time’ and solo time, ‘up time’ and down time, etc.  I encouraged people to place their efforts in areas where it will pay off in ways that really matter to them and the people who are close to them.  Hopefully the end result is that there are more berries on your holly branch than there are prickly parts – at least that’s what I’m trying to do for myself.  So, here are six ways to help make this happen:
 
Know Your Limits – don’t overdo, allow others to help
 
Keep the Joy in Gift Giving – don’t make it a ‘to do’ list, be organized, do some of it with someone if you don’t like shopping, make gift wrapping part of the fun/beauty
 
Balance Your Social Calendar – time for you, your loved ones balanced out with time out on the circuit
 
Enjoy Your Extended Family – stay in the present, listen to what they have to say so you get a sense of what’s going on in their lives, do things instead of just sitting around so you can create new bonding opportunities, have something to keep yourself occupied when you’re just sitting around (knitting) so you don’t get antsy to be elsewhere
 
Create Meaningful Moments – be proactive, be with people you want to be – including yourself, take time out to give and receive gestures of caring and love
 
Be Flexible – Allow for Change – sometimes traditions or activities need to change because of changes in your own live, allow them to happen, by letting go of things you create room for new elements to make the season special
 
One final idea: bring sound into your days and evenings.  What a difference it makes on these cold days."  — Christine Eisner, Lifestyle Design