Winding Down or Gearing Up

Phew! a whirlwind of activity this past week.  It felt good to just relax today, run, read, meditate, yoga, eat leftovers for lunch AND dinner.  We did some "Shop Small" yesterday in Ft. Collins, CO.  Shop small or local as I call it is a near obsession of mine.  I ALWAYS try to support the locals. Being in a family of entrepreneurs, I understand how important it is to maintain the small business spirit in a world of big box corporate giants. At local shops you not only support your community economy but you get unsurpassed customer service and often deal directly with the owner who is a part of that community. 

Other than that bit of shopping yesterday, I've only been working on my crafted gifts and no other shopping.   I really wanted to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday, which is my favorite holiday actually.  It has all the makings of the perfect holiday; time with family and eating.  My two most favorite things in the world.  There's no all out decorating, shopping for gifts, card writing, wrapping, tree trimming, etc. etc.  Just eating and spending time together. 

Now that it's December, I will begin to make my list and check it twice, slowly getting my items checked off but I refuse to take part in the frenzy.  The black Friday knock-down drag out fights at some stores is beyond my comprehension as is the camping out the night before.  There is absolutely nothing I need/want enough to engage in either behaviors. 

So take a deep breath, do the holiday activities you enjoy and let the others go; start new traditions like stocking stuffers only.  This can be fun as it often takes a bit of creativity to figure out what to get/make that fits into a stocking.  Be creative and have fun instead of dreading the season.  I've scaled way back and I can tell you it has increased my joy and decreased my stress tremendously. 

Practice mindfulness during the season to remind yourself what's really important to you.  It can be as simple as you chose to make it, you don't have to fall prey to all the spending hype.  Take the "Shop Small" to heart and do your holiday small as well, it just may be the best holiday yet.