1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:07,600 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:08,760 --> 00:00:09,320 Speaker 2: Good Morning. 3 00:00:10,560 --> 00:00:16,040 Speaker 1: This is Laura, Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 4 00:00:16,079 --> 00:00:20,680 Speaker 1: tip is to make little moments festive. Getting in the 5 00:00:20,680 --> 00:00:25,160 Speaker 1: holiday spirit doesn't need to involve big, showy decorations, though 6 00:00:25,400 --> 00:00:29,120 Speaker 1: obviously it can. There are lots of little moments through 7 00:00:29,160 --> 00:00:33,080 Speaker 1: the day where tiny changes can make a big difference. 8 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:38,640 Speaker 1: Every year, I make a holiday fund list and plot 9 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:41,640 Speaker 1: out when my family will be doing things like visiting 10 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:46,640 Speaker 1: holiday train displays or seeing the Nutcracker. These events tend 11 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:49,839 Speaker 1: to involve times and tickets, which isn't a bad thing. 12 00:00:50,840 --> 00:00:53,880 Speaker 1: When something is on the schedule and I pay for tickets, 13 00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:57,760 Speaker 1: I tend to do it. But some items on the 14 00:00:57,800 --> 00:01:02,800 Speaker 1: holiday fun list are more about moments. For instance, I 15 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:06,000 Speaker 1: decided to set the serious XM radio channel in my 16 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:11,040 Speaker 1: car to seventy nine, which is holly. I might get 17 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:14,160 Speaker 1: sick of the holiday music eventually, but it's as fun 18 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:16,840 Speaker 1: as listening to random pop music for a few weeks, 19 00:01:17,560 --> 00:01:21,840 Speaker 1: and it makes carpool runs feel more festive. I've been 20 00:01:21,880 --> 00:01:26,360 Speaker 1: listening to Box Christmas Oratorio while doing my daily stretches. 21 00:01:27,240 --> 00:01:29,959 Speaker 1: I am practicing for my twenty twenty four project of 22 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:33,520 Speaker 1: listening to all the works of Bach. So in the meantime, 23 00:01:34,120 --> 00:01:39,040 Speaker 1: why not listen to his famous Christmas masterpiece. A few 24 00:01:39,080 --> 00:01:41,880 Speaker 1: weeks ago I pulled out my stash of Christmas puzzles. 25 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:45,240 Speaker 1: I like to work on one thousand piece puzzles at 26 00:01:45,319 --> 00:01:48,600 Speaker 1: night because it's relaxing and keeps. 27 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:51,440 Speaker 2: Me off my phone. When I'm on my phone, I 28 00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:53,440 Speaker 2: tend to look at the news, and that is of 29 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:58,440 Speaker 2: course far less relaxing. So one thousand piece puzzles it is. 30 00:01:59,560 --> 00:02:02,920 Speaker 2: I could work on any sort of puzzle, so why 31 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:06,520 Speaker 2: not do ones with rustic Christmas scenes or pictures of 32 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:11,480 Speaker 2: carollers or of Santa sitting by a fire. I have 33 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:15,880 Speaker 2: dug into my stash of old holiday magazines. I love 34 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:20,400 Speaker 2: old magazines in general, especially those from a long time ago, 35 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:23,600 Speaker 2: as they show what life was like for normal people 36 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:28,280 Speaker 2: in times past. I have collected some vintage December issues 37 00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:31,840 Speaker 2: of women's magazines, but I have also kept some that 38 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:36,480 Speaker 2: I have subscribed to years of Martha Stuart, Living, Better 39 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:41,000 Speaker 2: Homes and Gardens, Good Housekeeping, Oh, the Oprah Magazine, and 40 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:45,000 Speaker 2: so forth. Some of these titles have stopped publishing, which 41 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:48,360 Speaker 2: makes me happy that I saved the old ones. I 42 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:52,040 Speaker 2: don't really remember flipping through the December twenty thirteen Martha 43 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:55,560 Speaker 2: Stuart Living issue back in twenty thirteen, even though I'm 44 00:02:55,560 --> 00:02:58,760 Speaker 2: sure I did so. It's like reading a new magazine, 45 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:04,640 Speaker 2: and it turns downtime into something more festive. In any case, 46 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:08,200 Speaker 2: we have some discretion over how we spend our leisure time, 47 00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:13,280 Speaker 2: and especially the little choices like music and reading material 48 00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:17,440 Speaker 2: that are definitely within our control. We also have some 49 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:21,119 Speaker 2: discretion over small things in our homes, like using holiday 50 00:03:21,160 --> 00:03:25,280 Speaker 2: soaps or lighting candles. It is as easy to use 51 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:29,800 Speaker 2: evergreen scented soap as lavender scented soap for a few weeks, 52 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:34,760 Speaker 2: and one probably feels more festive. If you are reading 53 00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:38,520 Speaker 2: to kids, why not read a holiday story instead of 54 00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:42,280 Speaker 2: stories you read the rest of the year. We can 55 00:03:42,320 --> 00:03:45,800 Speaker 2: go overboard on this, of course, but every year, as 56 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:50,000 Speaker 2: the weather gets bleak in December, I remember the wisdom 57 00:03:50,120 --> 00:03:54,320 Speaker 2: of ancient humans holding solstice festivals, and then of the 58 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:58,600 Speaker 2: Christian tradition putting this holiday of light during the darkest 59 00:03:58,680 --> 00:04:02,240 Speaker 2: days of the year. As the song goes, we need 60 00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:06,240 Speaker 2: a little Christmas. Write this very minute, even if you 61 00:04:06,320 --> 00:04:10,120 Speaker 2: don't celebrate Christmas or simply celebrate the secular version of it. 62 00:04:10,880 --> 00:04:16,880 Speaker 2: A little festivity amid bleakness can be welcome. Indeed, in 63 00:04:16,960 --> 00:04:22,160 Speaker 2: the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's 64 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:32,000 Speaker 2: to making the most of our times. Thanks for listening 65 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:36,440 Speaker 2: to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, 66 00:04:36,760 --> 00:04:37,560 Speaker 2: you can reach. 67 00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:46,080 Speaker 1: Me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. 68 00:04:46,200 --> 00:04:50,240 Speaker 2: Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts 69 00:04:50,279 --> 00:04:54,880 Speaker 2: from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or 70 00:04:54,920 --> 00:05:06,919 Speaker 2: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.