WEBVTT - Deck unexpected halls

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to deck unexpected halts. A little holiday

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<v Speaker 1>cheer in unexpected places can make the season feel more festive.

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<v Speaker 1>If you celebrate Christmas in either sacred or secular fashion,

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<v Speaker 1>you no doubt put up the expected stuff. A tree

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<v Speaker 1>in your living room, a wreath on the door, a

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<v Speaker 1>few lights on trees. That's all great, but why stop

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<v Speaker 1>there some whimsical touches in other places at an element

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<v Speaker 1>of surprise, and there are a great many options. For instance,

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<v Speaker 1>if one tree is good, more trees are better. In

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<v Speaker 1>addition to your focal one where you stuffed the presents,

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<v Speaker 1>consider putting small ones, maybe in your kid's room. Each

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<v Speaker 1>kid can decorate the tree exactly as he or she wishes.

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<v Speaker 1>And if you would like to avoid having spruce needles

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<v Speaker 1>all over the floor, we'll go for artificial trees just

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<v Speaker 1>as much fun, much less maintenance required. Any bathroom is

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<v Speaker 1>ripe for the holiday treatment. Grocery stores sell holiday themed

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<v Speaker 1>soft soap. We've got gingerbread and cranberry scents going on

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<v Speaker 1>right now, and a bright red hand towel or a

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<v Speaker 1>glittery one makes hand washing fun. Definitely break out the

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<v Speaker 1>Christmas themed mugs for your morning coffee, and how about

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<v Speaker 1>holiday place mats or napkins. Kids might like holiday ziploc

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<v Speaker 1>bags in their lunches. Put a garland behind you if

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<v Speaker 1>you're working from home, and the greenery can be seen

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<v Speaker 1>in zoom calls. And yes, you could get a Rudolph

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<v Speaker 1>nows and antlers for your car. It's silly, but well

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<v Speaker 1>it can be fun. Little whimsical decorations don't have to

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<v Speaker 1>stop with Christmas. Any holiday can be an occasion for

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<v Speaker 1>spreading a bit of cheer. Maybe it's pink and red

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<v Speaker 1>candles around the house for Valentine's Day or an extra

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<v Speaker 1>pink and red throw pillow here and there. Tiny pumpkins

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<v Speaker 1>can add a fall vibe in all kinds of places, bathrooms,

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<v Speaker 1>window sills, desk tops. Kids stuffed bunnies can become the

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<v Speaker 1>basis for an Easter display. Now you may be thinking

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<v Speaker 1>that this sounds like a lot of time, money, and clutter.

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<v Speaker 1>You may also recall that I have advocated looking for

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<v Speaker 1>evergreen stuff when possible, but since holidays come around annually,

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<v Speaker 1>as long as you don't stick a date on anything.

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<v Speaker 1>You can reuse it for a long time. You probably

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<v Speaker 1>have all the Christmas or winter decorps you want, but

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<v Speaker 1>for the other holidays, just pick up a new item

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<v Speaker 1>or two each year. Your collection will grow over time.

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<v Speaker 1>Store all the decorations for a given holiday in a

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<v Speaker 1>clearly labeled bin. Then when the holiday is around the corner,

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<v Speaker 1>take out the bin and decorate. After it passes, put

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<v Speaker 1>the items back in the bin, and store the bin

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<v Speaker 1>in your closet or attic or basement or wherever you

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<v Speaker 1>put it. You can also put holiday themed consumables like

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<v Speaker 1>cocktail napkins, ribbons, and wrapping paper in the holiday bin too,

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<v Speaker 1>since you won't need them again until the same time

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<v Speaker 1>that you need the decor. Decking unexpected halls doesn't have

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<v Speaker 1>to take a lot of time or effort or expense,

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<v Speaker 1>but it can add a lot of fun to the year,

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<v Speaker 1>and that strikes me as a good return on investment.

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<v Speaker 1>In the meantime, This is Laura, Thanks for listening, and

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<v Speaker 1>here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with me.

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<v Speaker 1>On Twitter, face Book, and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod.

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<v Speaker 1>That's B the number four, then Breakfast p o D.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>At iHeart media dot com that before Breakfast is spelled

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<v Speaker 1>out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look

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<v Speaker 1>forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production

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<v Speaker 1>of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from i heart Radio,

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<v Speaker 1>visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

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