Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.
Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
Speaker 1: tip is to enjoy your holiday cards more. Don't just
Speaker 1: let the cards you receive pile up in a stack. Instead,
Speaker 1: approach them mindfully so you can maximize the sense of
Speaker 1: connection that is so important this time of year. I
Speaker 1: think most of us do love getting holiday cards, at
Speaker 1: least in theory. Unfortunately, amid the business of the season,
Speaker 1: it can be easy to open a card, take a
Speaker 1: quick glance, and then toss the card in the stack
Speaker 1: of mail to be dealt with later. The pile grows
Speaker 1: bigger until you either recycle it or let it fester
Speaker 1: there well into the new year. Far better to come
Speaker 1: up with a better process. One idea separate opening holiday
Speaker 1: cards from processing the rest of the mail. One option
Speaker 1: is to put cards by the place where you have
Speaker 1: your morning coffee so you can open them then, or
Speaker 1: set them on the kitchen table so the whole family
Speaker 1: can see them together at dinner time. The idea is
Speaker 1: to come up with a time when you can actually
Speaker 1: focus on the cards themselves. Then, when it is that time,
Speaker 1: really look at the photos, read any handwritten messages, which,
Speaker 1: by the way, you should always include in any cards
Speaker 1: you are sending. It really doesn't take much more time.
Speaker 1: Take a minute to reflect on the people sending the card.
Speaker 1: If you are opening the card with family members, you
Speaker 1: can talk about your memories of the people who sent
Speaker 1: the card and tell stories to younger family members who
Speaker 1: might not know these people so well. Then figure out
Speaker 1: a way to display the cards. There are lots of
Speaker 1: great ideas floating around on the internet for doing this.
Speaker 1: Some people use clothes pens to clip them to a
Speaker 1: garland or to a ribbon strung around a door or
Speaker 1: across a mantle. Some people make a holiday card wall,
Speaker 1: either on a bulletin board or somewhere else like a
Speaker 1: closet door where you pass by frequently but don't have
Speaker 1: some sort of art that is already taking up space.
Speaker 1: Looking at this wall and the smiling faces of your
Speaker 1: loved ones can become a favorite part of your day.
Speaker 1: But even if you are not going to do that,
Speaker 1: you might create a particular basket or bowl for the
Speaker 1: cards so they don't just wind up wadded in among
Speaker 1: the bills and catalogs where you have to sort through
Speaker 1: them again as you deal with those. In any case,
Speaker 1: it is good to be reminded of all the people
Speaker 1: in our lives and all the people we care about
Speaker 1: and who care about us. Over the past two years,
Speaker 1: we've probably seen a lot less of these people in person.
Speaker 1: Holiday cards are a way to stay connected to folks
Speaker 1: that we don't see that often, so they are worth
Speaker 1: treating with a bit more care and enjoying them a
Speaker 1: bit more. Then say that. Add for your local pest
Speaker 1: control place that also came in the mail. In the meantime,
Speaker 1: this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making
Speaker 1: the most of our time. Hey everybody, I'd love to
Speaker 1: hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,
Speaker 1: or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook
Speaker 1: and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod that's B the number
Speaker 1: four then Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot
Speaker 1: me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeartMedia dot com.
Speaker 1: That Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.
Speaker 1: Thanks so much, should I look forward to staying in touch.
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