James Smith’s Info Serv

Do you have feelings that you didn’t do something as well as you would have liked this year? With the intention to solve this by the end of the year? Many of us desire to begin the new year in a new light in our relationships. The ultimate motive, however, is that we don’t want to drag our emotional baggage into the coming year.

Having Thanksgiving in November and Christmas in December all leading to the beginning of new promises in the next year isn’t a fluke. The emotional need for love and peace is set in our emotional DNA and expands during this period. Gift giving is normally the result of wanting to give something that relieves the guilt of something. All for the promise of starting the New Year with a clean slate.

Your motive during the holiday period depends on your beliefs. Yet, it is a time to reconnect with love. Love is the greatest need for all of us. It is the foundation for our need for respect, honor, and interaction. We need love as proven in studies on newborns — those touched and loved during their first few weeks and those that aren’t. Our love for our family, friends, but mostly with ourselves, is a strong desire that is manipulated by retailers during this period. Yes, I honor the fact that it has made the United States a great nation because of it but have we ever thought of how life could be different if we met it in another way?

There are other ways to balance the holiday season, this season and for the rest of your life. Examine why you are purchasing gifts. Is it the need to feel more loved? Is it to relieve the guilt so you can begin the New Year with a clean slate — or at least a cleaner slate? What is driving the guilt? Not enough time spent with who? What are you working towards shedding before the New Year enters?

I am sharing this with you because I know of other ways and their results are greater than anything a gift will ever solve. It begins with forgiveness and transfers into living a different way of life — all year long. That’s 24/7, Monday-Sunday, with everyone in your life currently, from the past, and in the future that touch your life.

The message is to live a life of love, light all year long. Imagine a life of being guilt-free and being in a state of love and peace with yourself and others. No judgment with yourself. No judgment of others. Is it possible? I say yes and I know you know it as well. There are people living it. You have already experienced parts of it. Begin with the choice today. Not tomorrow, not as a New Year resolution. But today. Now. This minute. This second. Live the next hour guilt-free. Then the next hour. Live each hour whenever you can think of this process. Let the hours merge together and eventually your life changes dramatically and whole world that you touch shifts around you. You know its possible. It begins with a choice and shifts with awareness and the smallest of commitments.

(c) Copyright 2005, Catherine Franz. All rights reserved.

Catherine Franz, business and writing coach, resides in Virginia and is a syndicated columnist, radio producer, International speaker, and author. Ezines and other articles: http://www.abundancecenter.com http://abundance.blogs.com

Why not take some time this year during the quiet days after Christmas to identify what you really want to achieve in 2007? Make it real, concrete, achievable and imagine what it will be like this time next year knowing you have achieved these goals. Use the following points as a way to get ready for a brilliant 2007.

1. Acknowledge the previous year’s achievements: So few of us take the time to acknowledge and amaze ourselves at how much we have done over the previous 12 months. Take the time to write down what you are proud of, how you have grown, what you have learned, and then read it over. Surprise yourself!
2. Fewer Goals: Only choose 3-5 goals at the most. If you feel as though there are so many areas of your life where you want to set goals, fine. You can focus on the other areas next year. Choose 3-5 areas where you want to set goals. This is setting yourself up for success.
3. Make it specific: It’s not much good saying you want to lose weight. If you lost one pound over the year, you have met that goal! No, make it specific (e.g., I want to lose 15 lbs and add a deadline.
4. Benefits of achieving this goal: You need to write down at least three benefits of achieving this goal. Keep it near you so that when you falter, this will keep you going.
5. Failure is not an option. It’s inevitable: A Japanese proverb says: “Fall down seven times; stand up eight times.” Of course you are going to slip, make mistakes and not always do what you want. Accept that as the reality. Then, ask yourself how you are going to get back on track. Don’t waste time on beating yourself up, it’s pointless, and will not get you to your goal any quicker.
6. Write them down, write them down, write them down. Oh, did I mention the importance of writing your goals down? Use a computer file or buy a small hardback journal (they have some great ones in Borders for under $6.00) and write down your goals in it. Make sure you see them every day.
7. Acknowledge progress: If you have a dream to move to another part of the country, salute every little step you take. Acknowledge the calls you have made, the jobs you have applied for. They are all bringing you closer and the Universe has an amazing way of opening doors and opportunities as you salute your own effort.
8. Create sustainable environments: If you are planning to make sustainable long-term changes in your life, you will need to change some of your environments. This might include your job, where you live, how you manage your money. It could include working on ways to change your belief systems. You may need to begin mixing with people who support your goals rather than those people who love misery.
9. Find a goal bigger than yourself: As I am sure you are aware it can be so much easier to do things on behalf of others rather than for ourselves. Try and link your goal to something bigger than just you. For example, if you want to get a better job, consider how you will serve others better as a result of this job–not just how to make more money (although that should not be ignored!)
10. Best year yet: An excellent resource for working on making this your “best year yet” is a book called (amazingly enough) Your Best Year Yet by Jinny Ditzler. It only takes about three hours to work through, but you end up with an excellent plan for your new year.


About the Author
Anne Walsh
anne [Email address: anne #AT# annewalshcoach.com - replace #AT# with @ ]

In today’s world the stress of Christmas increases year by year. Many parents with young children and lots of relatives find it increasingly difficult to cope with this stress plus the high cost of Christmas. This can result in people falling into debt as they attempt to provide wildly expensive gifts for their children, friends and relatives.

I think many families would agree that Christmas has become so stressful that the true meaning of Christmas has virtually been lost. There are ways, however, of drastically reducing stress whilst still being able to celebrate Christmas which your loved ones can look back on with pleasure. One of the best ways to avoid this stress is to plan ahead and buy presents months before the occasion itself.

Most department stores hold sales in July and August when some amazing bargains can be bought at 50% of their original price or even less. It may seem strange to contemplate shopping for Christmas in summer but the advantages can be huge. Being able to avoid the crush and hassle in the shops at Christmas is one of them. Another is the satisfaction of being able to complete most of your Christmas shopping well in advance at a fraction of its usual cost, so halving worries over money. All that remains is a suitable place to hide all your purchases! The relief in knowing you’ve accomplished what often feels like a Herculean task is a reward in itself. Fantastic savings on Christmas can be made immediately after Christmas. Good, expensive cards are available at knock down prices, along with baubles and wrapping paper which are well worth while snapping up at bargain prices.

Another method of cutting stress is to buy on-line at eBay, particularly when shopping for jewellery. From expensive to cheap, from modern to traditional, from antique to new, it’s all there; rings, watches, bracelets, necklaces, anything you want. Choose from gold, platinum or silver plus any type of precious and semi-precious stones. The choice is amazing.

You can buy from dealers, manufacturers, estate sales or private sales. And you can buy with confidence as jewellery is one of the most popular items sold in on-line auctions. Without doubt, if you buy jewellery on-line you will save a considerable amount of money and find the most incredible bargains. Have a look, you will be astonished at what is on offer.

Many parties are held during the festive season which gives women the opportunity to spruce (no pun intended) up the house, apart from the tree itself. Christmas trees nowadays are often themed in colour and can look spectacular. Lots of candles add to the atmosphere and look truly festive when they are lit.

Displaying Christmas cards is an art in itself as they can become overwhelming. One of the best ways is to display them on doors so they don’t detract from other decorations. They look very attractive when placed at an angle, using bluetack on the back of the card.

Christmas floral decorations, when used carefully, add yet another dimension to the festive atmosphere. The odd red velvet bow over a large mirror or picture can be very effective.

Christmas lights for the tree are available in just about every colour in the rainbow but I think lots of tiny white ones look magical but this is a matter of personal taste. By deciding in advance how you will decorate your home lessons the stress of preparing for Christmas tremendously.

Avoiding stress by planning ahead leaves you more time to decorate your home at a leisurely pace. One of the nicest parts of Christmas is decorating your table for Christmas dinner. A floral centrepiece works extremely well along with candles spaced at regular intervals down the centre of the table. No table would be complete without Christmas crackers and, again, the colour of them can be themed with the rest of the table decorations for the best effect. A white or cream linen table cloth and matching napkins usually provide the best background.

Going out to a hotel or restaurant for Christmas dinner is very popular now as so many of them offer a full Christmas dinner on Christmas Day with plenty of choice in price and menus. It really is a special day to dine out. No cooking, no washing up, no timing worries, no stress. Get up on Christmas morning, open presents, make a few phone calls, dress up and go out to dinner feeling a million dollars! A few hours later you return home, sit down to relax and enjoy the rest of Christmas day. Going out for a meal on Christmas day leaves you free to enjoy the main day of the festive season and eliminates all the stress.

I haven’t yet mentioned the holly wreath for the front door as this is usually one of the final purchases but it really is worth investing in one for that festive touch. They can also be used inside the house, particularly on a white internal door.

If you have young children, which, let’s face it, Christmas is all about, stores now sell fabulous Christmas stockings which add to the festive picture. I’m assuming you haven’t forgotten their Advent calendars, chocolate or otherwise!

Finally, it’s Christmas Eve with its wonderful air of anticipation. Good wrapping paper for the presents is a must if you can afford it. Beautifully wrapped presents add to the excitement on Christmas morning, even though it is destroyed in seconds!

Here’s wishing you a very happy stress free Christmas.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Stress

So the big day is nearly upon us and for most Parents I know that this joy-filled day can become the most stressful day of the year, so here are my tips for the day.

1. Decide now what you want from the day, how do you want the day to go. Make a list of what you want to happen and how you want to feel. If you need help with this, imagine the day over with and ask yourself what three things happened today that you loved. How did you feel today, what three feelings did you experience? Now you have that, ask yourself how you can ensure you get these things. For example, I want Christmas Day to be relaxing, free and a giggle. So I make sure everyone knows that. The first thing I do is yoga, come what may, the day does not start until that is finished. People know that I have no strict schedule, dinner is ready whenever it is ready. I also restrict TV so we can do fun things together like play Outburst etc., etc. If all these things happen I am a happy bunny.

2. Communicate - Ok, so now you know what you want it is time to discuss this with the family. Call a meeting or talk to them all individually, ask them what three things they want, gather up all the information from every family member and then see how their needs and your needs can be met. Sit down and tell, discuss with them how you think Christmas Day can work for you all and be open to suggestions and feedback.

3. Allocate Roles - once you know how you want Christmas to go, allocate roles and jobs to family members. Let them know in advance what they will be responsible for and get agreements from them. Given a choice, your teenager may want to sit on the settee all day and drink and eat things that they are previously not allowed to; let them know that as a member of the family this is what they are responsible for.

4. Allocate some Me Time - I know this may sound impossible but it only has to be for ten minutes. See where in the day you can get some time alone and to yourself, even if you just lock yourself in the bathroom! Decide, know when and where you are going to do this, we all need to collect our thoughts and be alone just for a few minutes. Respect that other family members may need this too so when your teenagers storms off to their room, don’t make them wrong, accept that this is their Me Time and just ask them when you can expect to see them downstairs again.

5. Have Fun - I cannot say this enough, make this a fun day. Over breakfast ask everyone what fun thing they would like to do today, tell them what you want to do. Make someone the fun manager; give them the responsibility for ensuring you do all the things that everyone wants to. In our house we have a fun bowl and we each put in a fun thing we want to do. At intervals throughout the day the fun manager picks one out and we all do it. You do not have to be as regimented as that, but give fun a go. If you cannot make a fool of yourself at Christmas, when can you?

6. Relax.

7. Don’t get so uptight about things, let Christmas just happen - remember what this is all really about, the celebration of life, so go on, celebrate!

Wishing you all the best

About the Author
Sarah Newton has dedicated the last nine years of her life to young people and the challenges they face. Her success has come from challenging conventional thinking and worn out “fix it” approaches that diminish the inherent goodness and value of our young people. Instead, she teaches skills so that the young people and the adults in their lives can self-coach and self-correct their own behavior.http://www.sarahnewton.com

by Susan Allred

Every year we all go through the same thing. We want to give the perfect gift to everyone on our list. But that list keeps getting longer….and longer….and longer…..Well, you get the idea. How can a person possibly afford buying gifts for everyone?

This year, in light of the September 11 tragedies, and our recession I wanted to help you save some money by showing you several ways that you can give fantastic gifts without breaking out the credit cards!

1. Make Home Made Wrapping Paper. All you need for this is a few Christmas themed colored craft paints, a sponge, a metallic paint pen, and some brown or white rolls of craft paper. You simply sponge one color of paint all over the craft paper, let it dry. Add another color. Let it dry. Then, take your metallic paint pens (found at just about any store in the school supply isle) and write different Christmas words such as “Peace”, “Joy”, “Christmas”, “Noel” etc. in large words (I prefer cursive, but everyone has different tastes) all over the craft paper. Let it dry a few minutes. Re-roll the paper and tie it with a coordinating ribbon. Add some curling ribbon, some fabric ribbon and viola! High-end, hand-made wrapping paper! This beautiful gift will cost you about $3.50 to make and sells in some of the high-end stores and catalogs for $30!!! Don’t think you are crafty? Then invest in one or two big Christmas themed rubber stamps, a couple of colored stamp pads and stamp your way to Christmas bliss!!!

2. Home Made Christmas Cards. This theory is much the same as the wrapping paper. However, you can get your colored papers at craft stores, or even at the local office supply store – get some card stock in two different colors and have at it! Fold one piece of each color paper in ½ the fat way. With one of the papers, trim 1/8” off all the edges. Take some white Elmer’s glue and glue the smaller piece to the larger pieces making sure that you are centered on the paper. Then, either sponge or stamp a Christmas picture or words on the front of the Card (Thank you notes are a great sentiment to! They are great after-Christmas items) You can even punch two holes side by side in the center of the top of the card and tie a little piece of string, raffia, or ribbon on the card to add a little touch. Make up 10 of them, add some cards and you have yourself another great Christmas gift! And, they only take a few minutes to make!

3. Cinnamon scented Christmas ornaments. Here is yet another quick and easy gift that is absolutely fantastic! The smells will astound you once you begin hanging these ornaments on your trees, or your loved one opens their present. (Get the Recipe HERE). Just mix 5 ingredients together, roll out like dough, and use cookie cutters to turn them into whatever shaped ornament you want! I think that these would be absolutely fantastic gingerbread Christmas ornaments. And, I hear that once they are cooked, you can paint them too! Regardless, they are fragrant and fantastic!

4. To continue the theme of Christmas tree decorations, you can always make garland out of Hershey’s Kisses! Yep! Hershey’s kisses. All you need is a whole lot of Saran Wrap, curling ribbon, and colored Hershey’s Kisses. You unroll a huge piece of Saran wrap (we’re talking about 6-8’ long). Then, place 1-2 Hershey’s kisses every 4-6 inches apart until you have reached the other end of the saran wrap. Be sure to leave 3-4 inches on each end to tie the ends. Then, you wrap the Hershey’s Kisses in the saran wrap like you would roll a cinnamon roll. Once wrapped, just use the curling ribbon to tie a bow around the saran wrap between each tootsie roll. Then, use it as garland on your Christmas tree. It is particularly spectacular when they are mingled with your Christmas lights. Who knew that Hershey’s kisses were so versatile!

5. If you are new to our newsletter, last year, we showed our subscribers how to make Icicles and snowmen out of Sculpy modeling clay. You’ll love them!

6. Don’t go to the store and buy yards and yards of wrapping paper that will be ripped, torn, and forgotten in a matter of seconds (particularly frustrating if you wrap with the expensive gift wrap or spend an hour wrapping each gift). This year make your gift completely memorable. You can go down to your local fabric store and buy some inexpensive velvet, or beautifully themed material and make your own gift wrap! You don’t even need a sewing machine to do it! Jut an iron and some Stitch Witch. Fold your material in half. Place your gift on the fold and cut the material in a square or rectangle to fit the gift. Be sure to leave about 6-8 extra inches on each side and another 8 inches on the top of the gift to allow room for extra bulky items. Then, follow the Stitch Witch directions and iron the Stitch witch to the two sides of the material, right sides together. Add some stitch witch to the top, allowing the material to fold down into the bag. Then tie the top with some ribbon or tassel and you’re present will stand out among all the rest of the presents under the tree!!

7. Fleece blankets are the absolute easiest things to make! All you need to do is go to the local craft store and purchase fleece to fit the bed you want (they will know the dimensions necessary) or just buy 2 yards of it for a comfy throw pillow. Once cut, the edges don’t fray. And, if you want to add a little flair to it, just get some yarn in a matching color and sew in great big stitches around the edges!

8. Sachets - What can get easier than this! Go to the store and buy some nice lacy material (actually, most any material will work – so get something that will match the décor!) and some of your favorite smelling Potpourri. Cut the material into some fun designs – hearts, stars, circles – you name it! With some pinking sheers to prevent fraying. Sew (or stitch witch!) the edges, leaving just enough space to add some potpourri. Fill the inside of the material with the potpourri. Take 6” of ¼ or 1/8” ribbon and attach it to the inside of the opening with hot glue or thread, then sew (or stitch witch) the opening closed. These take next to no time to make- especially if you make them in quantities. They are excellent for gift baskets, drawers, people who travel, closets, and nasty stinky shoes.

9. If you are looking for something a little more original, you can get a huge bowl, jar, or clear container and some Christmas lights (I prefer white). Fill the bowl with your favorite potpourri, then mix the lights in with the potpourri making sure that you can see some of them from the outside. Plug the lights in and the warmth from the light will fill your home with the smell of your potpourri! And, as with all Christmas lights, I wouldn’t suggest you leave it on all night or unattended for long periods of time.

10. Hand painted ornaments. Get some clear Christmas ornaments. Buy some glass paint. And get creative! I’ve seen these sold at the craft fairs for $5 per ornament! How neat would it be to be able to give your friends a dozen hand-painted one-of-a-kind ornaments and know that you only spent a few dollars on them!

11. Picture frames. Not just any picture frame, silly! We’re talking hand-made, one of a kind, nothing like it picture frames! The sky is the limit with these babies. If your friend is a Yankees fan, go through some old magazines and get lots of Yankee pictures, then decoupage them onto a $1 picture frame. Does your girlfriend like sea shells? Glue some onto a picture frame and she’ll love you forever. When my first child was born, I cut out a bunch of baby photos from magazines, then decoupaged them to a plain black picture frame. It made all the difference in the world. Do you like Sunflowers? Go pick up some fake sunflowers and glue them all over the frame. Sounds funny. But it’s interesting, easy, and looks great!

12. One of my most favorite wedding presents was a denim blanket given to me at a bridal shower. It is warm, comfy, durable, and it goes on just about every outdoor adventure I go on. Did you know you could make a denim blanket out of your old blue jeans? And, to add a little extra flavor, cut out the squares with your pockets attached! It costs you nothing but some old jeans you’d probably have to throw out anyway. You’re just sewing a bunch of squares together. And, if it ends up crooked, no problem! You meant to do that, right? J

13. Cross stitching. Cross stitching is the artfully deprived persons way of making beautiful pictures. All you do is put little X’s on a piece of material. Beware! It’s not the difficulty of the project that will get you. It’s the time involved!!!! Cross-stitching takes forever, but the ending effect is amazing.

14. Fix something for them. Who says your gift has to be wrapped up with a bow on it? If your neighbor has been begging her husband to fix the leaky faucet for 6 months and nothing has happened, go fix it – then put a bow on it.

15. Coupons. This year my daughter will get a coupon for a special day for just her and me. I will take her shopping, take her to the beauty salon, go to the movies and out to lunch at her favorite restaurant. This is her special day! It’s her favorite gift at Christmas time, and my coupon from my mother for a lunch with just her and me was something I looked forward to every Christmas too! Other coupon ideas could include coupons for the movies, dinner out, Staying out late, or a Wild Card which means that they get their way “just this once!”

16. Yes/No dice. This is along the same lines as the Wild Card coupon. However, it comes in the form of wooden blocks that have the words “Yes” or “No” printed on them. I’m usually one to be stingy with my dice – I’ll give them only one because they usually save them for the big fights or disputes. If you give these out, you must be prepared to give them what they want when they redeem their dice!

17. Homemade treats are few and far between. For many people it is so much easier to just buy a pie, or treats for the holidays. Why not take the time to bake them their favorite goodie? Show them that you care enough to give the very best – food that is.

Reference Box: Do you have any other inexpensive ways to give gifts for Christmas? Why not tell us! Maybe we’ll add your comments to our next month’s articles! Did you like what you read? Why not sign up for our FREE monthly Gift-Giving Guide and have it sent to you every month! Visit our site at http://www.acbouquet.com