WEBVTT - Make a holiday fun list

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is to make a holiday fun list. By thinking

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<v Speaker 1>through what you like most about the holidays and asking

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<v Speaker 1>your loved ones too, you can make more memories and

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<v Speaker 1>spend your time well. So we do a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>Christmas celebrating in my house. Every year, I make what

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<v Speaker 1>I call a holiday fun list. This is a list

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<v Speaker 1>of the things I want to do before early January

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<v Speaker 1>to make the holidays feel fun and memorable. This often

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<v Speaker 1>involves seeing the Nutcracker, singing in a Christmas choir concert,

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<v Speaker 1>watching the kids and the Christmas pageant, buying new family pajamas,

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<v Speaker 1>doing a Christmas lego set with the older kids, and

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<v Speaker 1>so forth. We have tried a lot of different things

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<v Speaker 1>over the years, different light displays, holiday train shows, and

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<v Speaker 1>so forth. It is hard to know exactly what is best,

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<v Speaker 1>so I've also started asking the kids what they like.

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<v Speaker 1>My daughter and I made a list to gather the

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<v Speaker 1>other night, and now I know that she wants to

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<v Speaker 1>go ice skating, and she wants to do a baking extravaganza.

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<v Speaker 1>She also wants to visit Dutch Wonderland to see the

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<v Speaker 1>lights and go on rides there. Now I would not

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<v Speaker 1>have pegged that as a top pick, but now I know.

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<v Speaker 1>The point is to really think about what would feel

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<v Speaker 1>most festive. Because during the holidays there are lots of options.

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<v Speaker 1>It can be easy to do whatever is right in

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<v Speaker 1>front of us. Or else we don't make plans and

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<v Speaker 1>then don't get to go to that holiday train show

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<v Speaker 1>because it's sold out. We forget what's going on and

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<v Speaker 1>realize we really would have liked to go see the Roquettes,

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<v Speaker 1>but it's not going to be possible to build in

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<v Speaker 1>a New York City trip now. Or you go to

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<v Speaker 1>an ice skating show because you think that's what your

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<v Speaker 1>kids want to do and it turns out they don't,

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<v Speaker 1>and then they complain that they never got to have

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<v Speaker 1>breakfast with Santa. I mean, the truth is people might

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<v Speaker 1>complain anyway. But the upside of a holiday fun list

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<v Speaker 1>is it that it makes everything feel more intentional. You

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<v Speaker 1>can say no to stuff that is not on the

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<v Speaker 1>list and still feel like you will have a full

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<v Speaker 1>holiday season. You can make arrangements to do things that

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<v Speaker 1>are on the list, knowing that the family has identified them.

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<v Speaker 1>As mattering, you decide it is worth fitting in that

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<v Speaker 1>amusement park trip the visit to see Santa on the

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<v Speaker 1>same weekend because they both are on the list. You'll

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<v Speaker 1>have time to relax in January. You can also budget

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<v Speaker 1>more strategically if you know what people are excited about.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe you do pay for the breakfast with Santa tickets,

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<v Speaker 1>but you don't buy tickets for some pricey train show

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<v Speaker 1>since it turns out that no one cares about it.

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<v Speaker 1>If you still want to go see trains, he finds

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<v Speaker 1>something cheap or free. So this weekend, sit down with

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<v Speaker 1>the people you will be spending the holidays with and

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<v Speaker 1>see what they would like to do, what would make

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<v Speaker 1>everyone feel festive. You can brainstorm a long list and

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<v Speaker 1>then narrow it down, or maybe you construct a few

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<v Speaker 1>anchor activities and then let everyone add an additional one

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<v Speaker 1>or two. But I find that making a holiday fun

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<v Speaker 1>list always puts me in something of a celebratory mood.

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<v Speaker 1>I have a plan for the holidays. It makes me

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<v Speaker 1>feel like they will be memorable, and honestly, that is

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<v Speaker 1>the way the holidays should be. In the meantime, this

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<v Speaker 1>is Laura, Thanks for listening, and here's to making the

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<v Speaker 1>most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.

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<v Speaker 1>If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach

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<v Speaker 1>me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,

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<v Speaker 1>please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you

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<v Speaker 1>listen to your favorite shows.