1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,360 --> 00:00:14,120 Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:14,880 --> 00:00:17,720 Speaker 1: Today's tip is to realize that while some folks get 4 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:22,080 Speaker 1: into simplifying the holidays, sometimes making a big production can 5 00:00:22,120 --> 00:00:25,880 Speaker 1: be a lot of fun. Special occasions are a great 6 00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:30,120 Speaker 1: opportunity to do that. Every year, around this time I 7 00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:33,360 Speaker 1: start seeing an avalanche of headlines about how to simplify 8 00:00:33,560 --> 00:00:36,920 Speaker 1: the holidays. The usual narrative is that we're all so 9 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:39,879 Speaker 1: busy and put upon that adding the holidays to the 10 00:00:39,920 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 1: mix is an invitation to go crazy, so we should 11 00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:47,560 Speaker 1: pare down. Don't host that party, don't go to that party. 12 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:51,120 Speaker 1: You don't have to send cards, you don't have to decorate, 13 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:54,600 Speaker 1: don't give many gifts, and of course you don't have 14 00:00:54,720 --> 00:00:57,160 Speaker 1: to do any of these things. And plenty of people 15 00:00:57,200 --> 00:01:00,920 Speaker 1: don't celebrate the various December holidays anyway. But this line 16 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:04,240 Speaker 1: of reasoning always strikes me as a bit bah humbug. 17 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:06,800 Speaker 1: I mean, maybe there are people out there with such 18 00:01:06,959 --> 00:01:10,720 Speaker 1: fabulous social lives that they really can't pack in, say, 19 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:13,840 Speaker 1: half a dozen extra things over the course of four 20 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:17,000 Speaker 1: weeks of December. And maybe there are people who shoulder 21 00:01:17,080 --> 00:01:19,640 Speaker 1: the entire load of doing all the planning and gift 22 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:22,720 Speaker 1: buying and such for their families. And if that's so, 23 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:26,040 Speaker 1: the answer is to share this, which is one way 24 00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:30,800 Speaker 1: to streamline the holidays. But in general, most festivities associated 25 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:35,000 Speaker 1: with the holidays are well fun. It's fun to see 26 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:38,760 Speaker 1: sparkling lights and eat special dishes. It's fun to see 27 00:01:38,760 --> 00:01:41,400 Speaker 1: people we haven't seen in a while, especially when they're 28 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:44,760 Speaker 1: all cleaned up and looking their best. Yes, people can 29 00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:48,200 Speaker 1: build all sorts of emotions and expectations into gift giving, 30 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:51,360 Speaker 1: but the reason formal gift giving has evolved as a 31 00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:54,160 Speaker 1: custom all over the world is that it really does 32 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:58,800 Speaker 1: cement relationships. Maybe it doesn't make logical sense that if 33 00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:01,560 Speaker 1: you and I both give each other fairly similar bottles 34 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 1: of wine will feel different about each other, But the 35 00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:08,760 Speaker 1: truth is we will, So why not acknowledge that and 36 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:11,640 Speaker 1: make the most of it. Now. I'm no Martha Stewart, 37 00:02:12,040 --> 00:02:14,639 Speaker 1: but I do love seeing our tree with all the ornaments. 38 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:18,400 Speaker 1: I love our matching stockings embroidered with each of our names, 39 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:20,480 Speaker 1: And now I'm thinking how I can get a matching 40 00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:23,600 Speaker 1: one for the new little baby when he comes. I 41 00:02:23,639 --> 00:02:26,240 Speaker 1: make a holiday fun list every year with things like 42 00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:30,040 Speaker 1: going to the Nutcracker, going to a local model train display, 43 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:32,760 Speaker 1: and seeing my kids perform in the church's Christmas pageant. 44 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:37,040 Speaker 1: Ordering and wrapping presents is a lot of work, but 45 00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:39,880 Speaker 1: my husband and I split this and it's exciting to 46 00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:43,640 Speaker 1: see the happy faces on Christmas morning. And here's the 47 00:02:43,639 --> 00:02:46,120 Speaker 1: thing about it being a lot of work. Just like 48 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:49,680 Speaker 1: with our recent episode on making those holiday trips, part 49 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:53,040 Speaker 1: of wisdom is recognizing that things that make us happy 50 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:58,079 Speaker 1: overall don't always make us blissful in the moment. So yes, 51 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:00,000 Speaker 1: putting the kids in the car to go see Holida 52 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:03,600 Speaker 1: lights takes more effort then marching through the usual routine 53 00:03:03,720 --> 00:03:08,080 Speaker 1: of dinner, baths and bed. Perhaps I'd be more rested 54 00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:11,000 Speaker 1: just doing the ladder, But what on earth am I 55 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:14,880 Speaker 1: saving this energy for. It's hard to imagine the upside 56 00:03:15,160 --> 00:03:19,320 Speaker 1: of getting to January and thinking few, Thank goodness, I 57 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:23,800 Speaker 1: didn't do anything. So I will not be simplifying the holidays. 58 00:03:24,440 --> 00:03:28,320 Speaker 1: I'll probably go a bit overboard as usual. But the 59 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:32,760 Speaker 1: definition of special occasions is that they are special. They 60 00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:35,720 Speaker 1: don't happen all the time, so why not make the 61 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:40,240 Speaker 1: most of them in the meantime. This is Laura thanks 62 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:42,920 Speaker 1: for listening, and here's to making the most of our time. 63 00:03:49,640 --> 00:03:52,440 Speaker 1: Hey everybody, I'd love to hear from you. You can 64 00:03:52,480 --> 00:03:55,920 Speaker 1: send me your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just 65 00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:59,960 Speaker 1: connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before 66 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:05,360 Speaker 1: Breakfast pod. That's B the number four, then Breakfast p 67 00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:08,320 Speaker 1: o D. You can also shoot me an email at 68 00:04:08,400 --> 00:04:12,120 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media dot com that 69 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:15,400 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks 70 00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:23,400 Speaker 1: so much, I look forward to staying in touch. Before 71 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:26,479 Speaker 1: Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio. For more 72 00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:29,960 Speaker 1: podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, 73 00:04:30,279 --> 00:04:33,480 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.