How to Make Holiday Magic

The holidays can sometimes feel like one long list of obligations. You have to figure out which gifts to get for whom and how much you can afford to spend. You have to write holiday cards/notes/emails at least to some people, once again figuring out what to whom.

You have to figure out which relatives/friends you have to entertain, spend time with, tolerate, try not to argue with. You have to travel at the worst possible time of year given weather, traffic jams and airport/train station chaos. You have to jam your ordinary chores in with all the not-ordinary chores such as when are you going to find all that time to go shopping? Not to mention dealing with demanding, unruly, hyper children/grandchildren all along the way . . .

Ah, the holidays! But here’s the thing: the more you come at the holidays with a “have to” “got to” approach, the more harried and stressed you will be. Instead, if you adopt a “want to” “get to” approach, everything will go much better for you.

So before you dash off into the rain/sleet/snow/traffic to do whatever it is, take a moment to sit down and reflect.

What do you want to do in terms of gift-giving? There’s a world of difference between “I want to get Aunt Julia something she’ll really enjoy” and “I have to get Aunt Julia something decent.” Which feels better?

“I want to get my 5 year old a present she’ll enjoy and I have $20 to spend on her gift,” versus “I have to somehow manage to get my 5 year old something she’ll like on just a measly $20.” Both are true statements, but one is likely to cause you anxiety and stress, the other will inspire you with positive motivation.

You can practice the “I want to” approach with anything and everything. “I have to cook” becomes “I want to make something delicious for my family.” “I have to visit 3 sets of relatives in one day” becomes “I want to spend a fun couple of hours with each set of my relatives.”

The more you practice the “I want to” technique, the easier it becomes. All of a sudden, lo and behold, the holidays become the magic they were always meant to be.

Happy Holidays!

Geocache Your Way to Happy Holidays!

A friend introduced me recently to the wide wonderful world of Geocaching. For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, Geocaching, according to Wikipedia, is: "…an outdoor recreational activity, in which participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called 'geocaches' or 'caches,' anywhere in the world." And those containers are full of cool stuff, rarely worth much in monetary terms, but worth everything in terms of uniqueness, meaningfulness, and just plain fun.

You get a set of coordinates online, and with your trusty GPS device in hand, off you go on the adventure! You never know what you'll find, but it’s bound to be interesting and the search itself is exciting.

In other words, a treasure hunt! Updated to suit our technology, with all the fascination inherent to finding treasure.

That’s where the Happy Holidays come in. What if you treated this Holiday season like a Geocache adventure? What if you decided to be on the hunt for treasures of fun, and joy, and appreciation, and gratitude? What if you decided to be on the lookout for smiles, twinkles in people's eyes, enthusiasm?

And what if your GPS was the smile you offered--to one and all? The genuine, enthusiastic "Oh, it's sooo good to see you!" to friends and family? The compliment to a stranger, the bigger-than-usual tip to a server, the patience when in a too-long cashier’s line?

I guarantee that if you take on the Holidays with a GPS of happy, joyous, generous giving of self, you will find amazing Geocache treasures of joy and happiness throughout the Season.

Welcome to the Geocache adventure of the Holidays!