Week #267 – Procrastinator Alert: Christmas is on December 25th This Year!

Greetings All — and Happy Friday!!!

I’ve been taking the month of October to look ahead.  Maybe too far ahead for some!  But recently I theorized that, with time moving faster than ever, the only way to seemingly slow it down is to plan…and planning means planning ahead!!!

For Week # 265, I reminded you to gather up your Halloween materials/costumes so that you’re ready to join in the fun as soon as it presents itself (which is this week, by the way)!

And last week I reminded you to take a look at and plot out that magical 5-Day weekend called Thanksgiving!

And today…well, today is October 25th. And that leaves me no choice but to go where nobody wants me to go:

I’m talking about Christmas!!!

And the reason I’m bringing it up is two-fold…1) it’s much easier to talk about the holidays when they are a few months out and nobody really knows what they’re doing; and 2) wouldn’t you like to be the one who knows what you’re doing?!

Unspoken expectations are probably the biggest (and quietest) killers of Christmas cheer. For those who feel let down because their needs aren’t met…there’s disappointment. But for those who feel they didn’t live up to expectations…well, there’s guilt, shame, anger, self-loathing…just to name a few! 😉

That’s not the Christmas list we want!

In an attempt to get a jump on Christmas this year, I’m participating in a group experiment called the Christmas Project Planner. I served on the manuscript development team for this book…and am now on the launch team as well. (You can learn more about the book here…and the launch team here. And if you’d like to join in the fun…click “join” and tell them Grace from SpreadHappyness sent you! I get nothing out of it…but I’d be excited to see you there!)

We will start working through the 21 projects in that book on November 4th…one project a day (except Sundays) up to the day before Thanksgiving Day. This way, as the author often says, we can get the “have to’s” done in November so we can enjoy the “get to’s” in December!

I’m hoping she’s right!

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of muscling through the holidays only to come out limping on the other side. As someone who works in hospitality, is active at church, and travels most of the holiday week…I’m looking for every advantage I can get, especially this shortest of all “holiday” seasons. (26 days…and if you don’t believe me, revisit Week #263 to count the days!)

And for all those of you who prefer to keep Christmas in December…I get it! And I envy your ability to get it all done in four weeks! That’s why I called this a “Procrastinator Alert”…because it’s for those of us who need a little extra time to get it all done, while ultimately keeping it all together! 😉

Are you with me?!

Your Happyness Challenge for the Week Ahead: Christmas is December 25th this year! That’s right…they didn’t move it. It’s right there…just two months away from today! Are you ready to plan? Have you already started? Or do you prefer to wait until after Thanksgiving? Whatever your preference, get out your calendar and walk yourself through December…especially the holiday weeks. Are there travel arrangements to make, time to request off, conversations to have, lists to start building, or limits that would be better set now? Even if you don’t take action on them…get them down on paper and revisit them when you’re ready. Your December self might just thank you!

Spread Happyness — Two Months to Christmas!!! Start planning now!!! 🙂

10/25/19 by Grace Church
© Grace Church
grace@spreadhappyness.com

Week #266 – Procrastinator Alert: Plan Your Thanksgiving 5-day Weekend Now!

Greetings All — and Happy Friday!!!

I’m taking this month of October to look ahead.  Maybe too far ahead for some!  But recently I theorized that, with time moving faster than ever, the only way to seemingly slow it down is to plan ahead!!!

Last week I reminded you to gather up your Halloween materials/costumes, so that you’re ready to join in the fun as soon as it presents itself (which might be as early as this weekend)!

This week, I want to look ahead to the most wonderful time of year — that Thanksgiving 4-day (sometimes 5-day) weekend!

Thanksgiving falls on the latest date possible this year (the 28th)…so it feels like a million miles away.  And because of the length of the weekend and the lack of obligatory gift-giving it seems like there will be so much time.

Yet every year, Thanksgiving weekend catches me by surprise!  No sooner have I watched the parade and eaten one too many bites of pumpkin pie and I wake up Friday…with a lot of time on my hands, and no plan! (Or too much to do and not as much time as I thought!)

There has to be an in-between.  And this year I’m determined to find it! Starting with:

Wednesday — First of all, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving Day is one of the busiest travel days of the year.  So if you’re traveling, consider hitting the road or the airport earlier in the day/week.  That way, you can get where you’re going by the time everyone else is leaving — and partake in…

Friends-Giving — The Wednesday night before Thanksgiving is rumored to be the busiest bar night of the year.  With everyone back home to visit family, it’s an unplanned homecoming of sorts.  Don’t overlook this opportunity to gather with friends, blow off some steam, and fuel up on good vibes that will carry you through Thanksgiving Day. There are also many ecumenical “Thanksgiving Eve” services — and, if you’re in New York, the parade balloon inflation!

Thursday/Thanksgiving Day — If you love the parade (like I do), make sure to check your local listing and make it clear to everyone that you are tuning in to watch.  (If you’re going to the parade, even better!)  Same with football, the dog show, or It’s a Wonderful life…be sure to communicate your Thanksgiving Day traditions to your family and schedule around them.  Also — if you work out regularly, don’t skip this day!  Make sure you have time to get out and get your workout in before heading off to sit/eat/nap/argue about politics for the rest of the day!  Most important, remember what this day is all about…gratitude.  If you’re lucky enough to spend it with family, enjoy them to the fullest extent you can (and then leave)!  😉

Friday After/Black Friday — Whatever your Thanksgiving Friday traditions are, be sure to have a plan in place to execute and enjoy your day.  Whether you are shopping, baking, decorating, or getting out in nature — make sure you have everything you need at the ready to enjoy it.  This is the day I often got caught short…I used to shop with my sister/mom every black Friday but as our schedules changed and we couldn’t get together I found myself floundering.  If you are mourning traditions that are no longer in place, this might be the year to create a new one!

Saturday/Small Business Saturday — I know it’s a gimmick by AmEx to keep us shopping but Saturday is a great day to explore/support your hometown or other small town.  It’s also a good day to decorate, send holiday cards, visit family you may have missed, or just relax and enjoy your house!

Sunday/First Sunday of Advent — As I mentioned a few weeks ago, 2019 will see the shortest possible holiday “shopping season” with only 26 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Whatever your First Day of Advent traditions are, make sure you have them in place to usher in the holiday season.  Otherwise, for those of you going back to work/school on Monday — this is a great day to stick close to home and give yourself some time to prepare/ease yourself into the long week (and short season) ahead!

Sorry if it bums you out talking about December 1st already…but by planning ahead, it might just be possible to anticipate and enjoy the season that much more. 

I’m willing to give it a try…are you?

Your Happyness Challenge for the Week Ahead: Plan your Thanksgiving 4- or 5-day weekend now! Walk yourself through each day, maybe even in reverse, and think through (or discuss) how you want to spend them. Will you have friends in town? Are there movies to see? Family to visit? Traditions to keep? If you’re traveling can you leave early/come home later to save yourself from traffic? And if you’re going to be on the road all weekend — maybe you want to schedule an extra day off for yourself before going back to school/work. Finally, if you’re like me and you work through most of the holiday — how can you create meaningful pockets of time to stop and celebrate with others?

Spread Happyness — tell me, how do you plan to spend the long Thanksgiving Weekend?

10/18/19 by Grace Church
© Grace Church
grace@spreadhappyness.com

Week #265 – Procrastinator Alert: Prep your Halloween costume NOW!

Greetings Tribe — and Happy Friday!

Halloween may seem like a month away, but its Thursday date this year means that many people will be partying the weekend before. Some towns are even having trick-or-treating events as early as THIS weekend!

Do you have your costumes picked out yet?

When we were kids, it felt like we had months to scheme and plan and prep the perfect costumes for that one magical night a year. Some of us even had time to practice our make-up weeks in advance!

Now we’re lucky if we can throw together a good “couch potato” costume in short order!

Every year I resolve to come up with something better, more imaginative, more creative than my tried-and-true Rosie the Riveter garb…and every year I wind up pulling the same old jeans, boots, and red bandana out of the closet from the very same place I left them last year (and hoping they fit!). All the while wondering what else I could have pulled together if I just…had…a little…more…time.

How about you? Have you thought about Halloween yet? If not, here are some places to go for inspiration:

• Movies
• Books
• TV shows (ah…Ms. Maisel)
• Video Games
• Music
• Hobbies
• History
• Sports
• Pop Culture
• Favorite Activities

And remember, group costumes are a fun way to expand on a theme and get the whole family/office/group involved!

Your Happyness Challenge for the week ahead: Prep your Halloween costume NOW! Even if it’s your tried-and-true Rosie the Riveter costume…dig it out this weekend and try it on for size. And if you have more time, brainstorm a list of ideas that might fit the bill this year. Talk with your family/friends/co-workers about what you could pull together as a team. Most important, settle on one idea (even if it’s just a back-up) — and get everything ready and in one spot. That way, if you don’t get around to fulfilling your vision of all that your Halloween costume COULD be…you’ll have something at the ready so YOU can join in the fun anyway!

BONUS: if you find yourself with lots of extra Halloween supplies you don’t need, offer them up to your friends or donate them to your local thrift store! You’ll be sure to Spread Happyness to someone else this Halloween!

Spread Happyness — share your favorite go-to costume ideas in the comments!

10/11/19 by Grace Church
© Grace Church
grace@spreadhappyness.com

Week #264 – Q4 is Underway! (What do you have left to do in 2019…or this decade?!)

Greetings Tribe — and Happy Friday!

We just barely flipped the calendar from September — and it feels like someone fired a starting gun somewhere!

As I’ve written before, the turn into October is usually a white-flag moment for me: the last lap.  A time to stop, take stock, and set a course for Q4 — the finish line of the calendar year.

But I’m seeing more and more of this recently in a bigger way: 90-day pushes, holiday planning in September, and even 2020 goal-setting. I mean, did you realize that these are the last three months of THIS DECADE?! (I didn’t until someone pointed it out to me last week!)

It makes Q4 feel less like a final lap and more of an on-ramp!

(And yes, it was me who suggested you start thinking about the holidays LAST week!)

But I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing. For whatever reason, time does seem to be moving faster. There’s a lot of theories about that: the digital/information age, our busier lives/schedules, perhaps instant gratification and the lack of anticipation for most things (which explains why waiting for anything anymore seems to bring time to a stand-still!).

(The third thing has my attention…because what if WAITING (or planning) is actually the key to slowing things down? More on this in the upcoming weeks!)

Regardless, Q4 is special because it brings the calendar year to a distinct close and gives us a unique opportunity to reflect and celebrate all that we’ve accomplished, completed, achieved, and experienced in the year that has passed. (This year is super special because it brings the 10’s to a close!)

Which brings me to my question:

Have you been keeping up with your dreams and goals this year?  If so…good for you!!!  Hopefully you’ve been keeping track of the good stuff, too: gratitudes, achievements, highlights, benchmarks, photos, accomplishments. (If not, don’t worry.  Check out Week #68 for some surefire ways to remember these things!)

Or maybe this year has thrown you a curveball…maybe it downright pulled the rug out from under you. If so, now is a good time to take stock and think about how this last quarter can bring you some healing, some closure, or at least a chance to regain your footing. (I lost my brother in September of 2014 and I remember that 4th quarter was very foggy.)

What do you have left to do in 2019…or in this decade?!

Your Happyness Challenge for the week ahead: What do you have left to do in 2019?  Is there something you still need to do that is nagging at you?  Something you DON’T want to take into the 20’s? If so…you’ve got thirteen full weeks to get it done!  Don’t take unfinished business into the new year or new decade.  Break it down into steps…share it with a friend…find yourself a buddy…get to work…and get it DONE!

Most important…keep collecting the good stuff!  Keep on keeping track of those things that bring you hope, happiness, and satisfaction!  Because we need more of that.  More focus on the wins.  More focus on what’s right.  More focus on loving our lives — so that we can live our lives more fully.

To Life! To Love!! To Happyness!!!

Spread Happyness — share your thoughts and plans for Q4 in the comments!

10/4/19 by Grace Church
© Grace Church
grace@spreadhappyness.com