Growing and Glowing This Holiday Season

It’s nearly Thanksgiving and before you know it Christmas will be on the horizon. There is nothing like the holidays! Time with family, friends, good food and making lasting memories is what this time of year is for. The best thing about the holiday season is you can create a legacy of joy with loved ones. However, to enjoy the holidays to the fullest, it’s a good idea to slow down and make the most of life's little moments. It's in the everyday that we can find those tender moments that will stay with us long after the last ornament is boxed away.

I love the Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year season. It’s a time of reflection, refreshing, renewal and anticipation of a new year. Setting off the holiday season as a family will stir or create some memories that you and your children will not soon forget. They will love the pictures, the toys, and the goodies but most importantly, they will reflect as they get older, on the time they’ve spent with their family the most. They will remember the traditions which they most likely will share with their little ones someday.

One old fashioned tradition I still enjoy is sending holiday greetings in the mail. If you’re going to send out holiday cards, it’s wise to prep them early in the season. I usually send mine out on Black Friday. This way, my recipients have time to enjoy the card through the entire season and they’ll have time to respond with one accordingly. It’s no fun receiving a card so late you’re unable to send one before Christmas or receiving one in the New Year after the excitement is all over.

Another great holiday hack I enjoy is dividing up the weekends leading up to Christmas and engage in a holiday-themed activity on each one. One weekend I might make sugar cookies, go caroling in the neighborhood, have a tree trimming party, or go skating. You get the idea, right? You’ll have the best stress-free time with your loved ones. In addition, you can post pictures of your fun times on social media to inspire others to catch the holiday spirit too.

Have a tree trimming where everyone has to bring a dish! This would be a good time to bust out those holiday homemade cookies with milk or hot cocoa. Get the kids involved! This would be a great time to introduce a new holiday tradition to them. Trust me, they’ll remember it and cherish it for a long, long, time.We had the holiday tradition of trimming our tree after dinner on Thanksgiving because the family was already together that day, and it was our way of welcoming the Christmas season. It was intimate and pretty special for us too. Now, as an adult, I still carry on this tradition with my husband.

Another cool thing to do, especially if the kids are small is help them create handmade holiday cards. What a great way to reach out to extended family, especially if they can't travel to be with you during the holidays. When I was small, we did this and each year we’d pull out old cards from when we were little and reminisce about that particular Christmas, and why we made them.

Remember don’t make a huge deal about shopping! We don’t have to stand on long lines at cash registers anymore to buy cool gifts and if you start shopping in early November you can even catch those Veteran’s Day and Black Friday specials so you can enjoy your eggnog. There are so many online ways to find that perfect gift for loved ones and if you don’t, it’s ok. I’m sure nobody would turn down cash! But even if you do give a gift certificate, get a small stocking stuffer too. No matter how old you get, we all want something to unwrap on the big day.

Don’t forget to make some lasting memories with you sweetheart too! Make sure you set up some special time with your partner. Send the kids to grandma's house one or two afternoons during the season to get that much needed one on one time. You both need time to enjoy everything—the season, the kids, the extended family and most importantly, each other.

The holidays should be fun, memorable and full of all the love you can share… RELAX, exhale and make the most of this magical season.