Is a Not So Busy December really a possibility? I believe your December, a month that many people refer to as “crazy” and “busy” and (you guessed it) “crazy busy”, can be a less busy, more enjoyable holiday month. Let me encourage you with these 7 ideas.

1. Eliminate Gift-Giving                                                                                                          Did I really just say that?? Yes, you can eliminate gift-giving or at least limit some of the gift-giving. Instead, consider options such as memory-making activities. For example, create a certificate for your niece that invites her to a special evening out to see a movie and enjoy dessert at a local cafe. Spend a little less time running from store to store, and enjoy a little more time creating memories that can happen throughout the year.
2. Shop online                                                                                                                                  If you are giving a physical gift that requires making a purchase, consider shopping online. You will save time and money when you are able to shop from the comfort of your own home. I created 2 gift guides that might be a good starting point if you are shopping for her or for the kids.
3. Consider Your Calendar                                                                                                    Pull out your calendar and see what you already have scheduled this month. Consider very carefully your other options and leave many blank spaces for slow evenings at home or for spontaneous sledding with the neighborhood crew.
4. Combine Activities                                                                                                                It’s fun to try to come up with ways to combine various tasks and activities you both want to and have to do. Maybe you always spend a day baking cookies, and you also try to do a Christmas movie night with your book club each year. Combine the events. You could invite your book club friends over for a movie and cookie making evening.
5. Make Do with What you Have                                                                                              A lot of time can be spent running around looking for and buying various items you feel you need for December activities and events. Take a peek in your closet before racing through the mall on a hunt for the perfect office party dress. Before making a trip to your local craft store, step outside and gather some greens to put in a vase for a quick and free centerpiece.
6. Get Help from a Friend                                                                                                       You might ask a friend for childcare help so you can make the most of your time at the grocery store when shopping for Christmas Eve dinner. You might consider making cookies with a few friends (like your book club) so you don’t have to make them all on your own.
7. Say “No”                                                                                                                                 This might be the hardest on the list. Saying “no” isn’t easy, but sometimes it’s just the thing you need to do. You might need to say no to the office gift swap. You might need to say no to the ugly sweater party at your uncle’s house. You might need to say no to the school fundraiser you always attend.

This December does not have to be as busy as your last December. This December can be more simple, restful, and reflective. It can be full of family, fun, and special memories. It can be a Not So Busy December.

What about you? How can you make this a Not So Busy December?

Until next time,
Charissa

Continue reading “7 Ways to Have a Not So Busy December”

I think sometimes our busyness comes from a lack of satisfaction. We look around our living room (after looking at a bunch of living rooms in a fancy magazine or online), and we feel like it’s just not right. Our coffee table is scratched. We don’t have trendy pillow covers, and our rug has one stain too many. We feel the need for more, for something better. We spend a lot of time on the hunt for more. We busy ourselves with creating the perfect space.

Maybe it’s a different area of your life. Maybe you’re not satisfied with your activities’ calendar. Everyone else’s life looks like they are involved in so many great things…and they’re happy. You end up filling your weeks (and your child’s weeks) with non-stop activity in the hopes of filling that dissatisfied ache. You weren’t satisfied, you got busy, and wait, you’re still not content.

What if you started looking around your life, looking around your home, looking at the people in your life? What if you started looking around at all these things with a thankful heart, with a heart that is satisfied with what is before you?

Sometimes, at night, right before I go to bed (when the lighting is right and the main rooms of my house are tidy), I smile big. I’m so happy and thankful…satisfied. Later, just 12 hours later, my people are up and those same rooms, that same house looks, well, it doesn’t look as neat and tidy and lovely as it did the night before. I become a little grumpy, a little discontent…a little dissatisfied. If only my living room was a little larger, my rug a little newer, my kids a little less messy. How quickly our view point can change. How easily we can allow our thoughts and hearts to move us to that place of discontentment and dissatisfaction.

At this point in the year we take intentional time to pause and be thankful. Are you satisfied with what you have right now? Can you rest (and be just a little less busy) knowing that there are so many amazing gifts all around you? Can you be thankful for what you have and let go of the (often present) need for more?

May this Thanksgiving find you with a heart of gratitude, a heart that is satisfied with where you are and what you have.

What about you? Are you satisfied and thankful this season?

Until next time,

Charissa