The holidays are here again! It’s the most wonderful time of the year … with candy canes, caroling and mistletoe, oh my….
Really now? Well, Bah Humbug!
Which sounds most like you? The “warm fuzzies” or the “Bah Humbug” If you honestly look at any “Bah Humbug” feelings, there is always some disappointment or pain behind it–even Scrooge became who he was after years of bitterness from love lost. But you don’t have to become Scrooge.
Even if your circumstances say that Christmas 2011 is destined to be an awful, terrible, stressful holiday, you can choose to turn it around and make this year a memorable one, even if there is sadness or difficult challenges in front of you. Here are my three secrets that really work!
1. Grab your Girlfriends.
Girlfriends are meant to get you through a lifetime. Yes, I say that a lot, but I truly mean it. Grab a few girlfriends and do something different and special this season just with them. Be creative. You can do almost anything from volunteering to 
wrap and deliver gifts for a worthy charity to throwing a themed luncheon at one of your homes. One of my friends is having a “Favorite Things” gift exchange ala Oprah (I’m so looking forward to that and spent way too much thought into my $20 gift!). How about having the girls upload to YouTube 3-5 minutes of their best moments of their wedding video (even if it’s on VHS or Reel to Reel you can have it put on DVD at Sams or CostCo for very little), One of my girlfriends is so creative she’d probably have the gals show up in whatever outfit they want and then shoot an impromptu holiday video to upload for the world to see, hoping to go viral as the next internet superstars. The point is, grab your friends and spend some time even if just for two hours. Life happens. So I KNOW at least one of you is having a rough time this season and could use some cheering up. Lift her spirits but getting together. Speaker Debbie Stuart is talking on girlfriends at December 2 at First Friday (Harkins Theatre, Southlake). Come get inspired. It’s free. If you’ve missed it, the video will be on their website afterwards so check it out www.firstfridaywomen.com.
2. Go to a Matinee!
Movies are a perfect escape anytime, especially during the holidays. Why not sneak out by yourself and enjoy a matinee showing while the kids are still in school and the husband at the office? Indulge yourself in catchup of all those movies you’ve been anxious to see but felt doomed to wait for Pay Per View. During my Hollywood agent career the industry basically shut down every December. We still showed up to work for cleaning out and organizing, but no contracts were signed and few movies were in production. Thus it was my season to catch up on virtually every move I’d missed. For two weeks every December I’d spend my lunch hour (which ended up being a L-O-N-G daily lunch) at the movie theatre. I so looked forward to my December movie treat. There’s something about sneaking out to a movie during the day. Why not now?
3. Change it Up!
Do something unique and different this year just for your family. it doesn’t have to be dramatic or monumental. But make it something that is not part of your annual family tradition rather something just for your husband and kids. We lost both my husband’s parents this year. It’s been such a heartbreaking year. They’ve lived with us for the past five years and now my kids face their first holidays without 
their beloved Grandparents. So for Thanksgiving my husband wanted–no needed–to do something drastically different than our traditional turkey dinner. He booked us a train ride to San Antonio and we spent the week on City Walk and enjoyed Sea World and other family activities. Will we do this every year? No, but we chose to do something different to enjoy the holiday at a time when it was otherwise destined to be filled with empty seats and sadness. Be creative and find something unique for your family to change up the usual to help spark new pleasant memories.
I must confess, Christmas is and always will be my favorite time of year. I do love the music, decorations, musicals, TV specials, weather, parties, and all the warm fuzzies that go with it. But I also know it is also a hectic time of year filled with pressure, unreasonable expectations, family strife and tormented memories. If you find yourself in the midst of unpleasant circumstances this season, you can still have a pleasant, memorable holiday in 2011. Try my three secrets — Grab your girlfriends, catch a matinee, and change it up! Three little ideas than can bring warm fuzzies and holiday spirit to an otherwise Bah Humbug year!
Until the New Year!
