Click here to get these holiday cards! www.EmilyBrickelIllustrations.com

1) Think in ADVANCE!!!! – Yes I know this whole blog post may be coming in advance – but yet Thanksgiving is tomorrow, I repeat TOMORROW. Yes that means Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday are this weekend. So this blog is actually rather timely. Use these steps in advance to get you through the holiday season un-scathed and ready, willing and able to enjoy in the holiday fun!

Think about these things in advance:
Holiday gifts you will give. Now is the time to actually read your catalogues and check off some items for your holiday list. Add it to an actual list, (no a checklist in your head does not count) – I like an excel sheet. Add a budget for each person and a column for what you will get them. If you don’t know yet leave it blank. If you can get gifts for every body on your list from two or three stores only or order them online together you will save time and money on taxes from repeat trips.

Plan meals, outfits, hairstyles, makeup or what you will bring to a party in advance. Everybody knows that when you wait to the last minute you don’t serve up your best. This is generally because you don’t leave yourself enough time. I am the queen of this, well until this year since my 2012 new years resolution was to think more in advance and OH the wonders it is already providing me. I am much happier and I am more proud of myself every time I do anything even a little bit more in advance. Better still, I can give more of my best efforts. This allows you to be more creative in your projects, say holiday décor or pie baking. You can put more love into something, or actually get things out on time, say your holiday card notes. You can even wear something that you look and feel good in and maybe have a plan B outfit incase you don’t like it that day; This will make you feel soo good, instead of running out the door in a rush, not completely confident in your wardrobe decision. Remember, when you don’t feel comfortable in what you are wearing it can be completely distracting from your fun and relaxation.

Buy Holiday cards and Thank you cards in advance. This is true for birthdays and other occasions as well. I’m talking a month or so in advance. This way you get the best of all the options out there, get what you really want, have time to write them and send them out or have time to wrap your gifts in a really fun way. When the stress of the actual holiday gets here you won’t have to frantically run to Wallgreen’s to get a card making you late and frazzled. (Been there.) Check out my website for some awesome holiday card options.

2) BALANCE it out! Your diet: Ok so every year for the holiday season I waittttt for the sweet potato pie with marshmallows on top, the pumpkin pie, apple pie, any kind of pie really. A la mode? Even better. Desserts and homemade holiday pies are totally my thing. And I will get seconds. Oh. Yeah. Thirds? It will cross my mind.

Now, I definitely don’t want to gain any weight right? I ate really good all year, I worked out and want to look skinny for the holidays coming up (Christmas, Hanukkah, New Years, Valentines, oh my). So what’s a girl to do? Balance it out.

The weeks before the holidays I try to eat really clean and healthy. Clean to me means only foods with one ingredient in them like: Chicken, Steak, Veggies, Fruits, Rice, Potatoes – only things that are naturally grown and 100% unprocessed. For sweets I like dried dates (they look gross but totally squash my sugar cravings) and they are only 150 calories for 3 of them. Other desserts: yogurt with no added gunk in it, with honey and berries! Yum. Snacks: bananas, apple sauce. Drinks: Water, water, water, an occasional glass of wine, tea, maybe a chai latte with coconut milk.

Take some extra days in the gym – tack on 2 extra days or 2 extra hours a week AT LEAST so you can pre-game your body to enjoy in the holiday calorie yumminess and not feel guilty or gross.

Your work: Take on some extra hours at the office, get some projects done in advance (if this is ever at all possible), and work your little butt off so during the holidays you can disconnect from technology and not feel guilty about taking your days off. Plan social media in advance but don’t forget to take lots of pictures to upload to your instagram later at night!

Your head space: If you know or think you know the day will be full of stress, take the morning to spend an extra 5 or 10 minutes in your morning meditation, take a yoga class, a walk or a nice long coffee break. Clearing your head at the start of the day will help you manage the stress and commotion later in the day. You will feel better and be able to get through any possible mishaps with a clear head and a non-defensive attitude.

Hope this helps and inspires you to get ahead of the game and enjoy the holidays this year.

**The holidays are really about family – so taking these extra steps will ensure you wont get carried away in the stress of the “packages” and material things. Your mind will be focused on the priorities.

What’s that? You don’t have time for this? Well you will have less time later on that’s for sure. As my mentor Gabrielle Bernstein says when people tell her they don’t have time to meditate, “Do you have time to feel like crap?”

No thanks! Well spoken Gabby!

Hope that inspires you!
xoxo
Emily