60 likes | 77 Views
Holiday party planning can be one of the most fun things to do, at the most hectic time of the year. Everyone loves to get together with friends and family around the holidays, spending time with those you care most about and letting the worries of the world slip to the back burner for a while. But, with all the earnest desire to put together the perfect event, holiday party planning can end in disaster if not executed well.<br>
E N D
Things That You Never Expect On FerienGrächen 10 Tips for a Stress-Free Holiday For many people, the holidays are stressful. So... 1. Go into the holiday season with the understanding that you have to be nicer to other people during this time, both for them and for you. We need to be cognizant that people are operating at a higher stress level during the holidays. When most people stress, they become more sensitive to the words , FerienGrächenand actions of others. Well-intended and humorous comments that might otherwise be laughed off or considered good-natured ribbing can be perceived as hurtful. Goal: Be more sensitive to the needs of others during the holidays. 2. Temper your expectations. People have unrealistic goals for the holidays. Yes, we'd all love homes that look like magazine covers, and a family dynamic that harmoniously resembles the Waltons. This is largely unrealistic. Mary's favorite holiday rule: Plan for what you can do and be happy with the results. No one will remember that the candles didn't match or that the tablecloth was wrinkled. The holidays are about making memories and creating happy moments that people remember with joy. 3. Shoot for success, not perfection, as my friend Alan Weiss says. Don't worry about perfection. Think about what constitutes success for your holidays. Does it mean hosting one great cocktail party? Getting Christmas cards out before Valentine's Day? Baking Grandma's cookies for the neighbors and the office? If you know ahead of time what success means, you are more likely to be happy with the results. 4. Outsource what you can. Now may be the time to get help hanging Christmas lights, cleaning the house, and preparing food. Use your resources, and consider hiring some help to decrease your stress level. 5. Use technology to streamline tasks and improve your own quality of life. Last year, for the first time, I sent out an electronic Christmas letter. I realize that some folks think that misses the personal touch, but it allowed me to craft a pretty fun newsletter with pictures, updates, and all of my contact information. For my friends who don't have email, I simply printed the newsletter and mailed it to them. It saves on postage, saves on addressing envelopes, and is environmentally friendly. 6. Coop your friends. For those fun but sometimes time-consuming tasks such as tree-trimming, cookie baking, and log chopping, get together with friends and make doing whatever you need to accomplish a party. I always love cookie swaps, and I was delighted to be invited to one in early December. I love trying other people's recipes and having a chance to talk with friends. The assortment of cookies, then becomes my go-to dessert when I attend other holiday parties. 7. Over communicate. During November and December, most people are overcommitted, short of time, and even shorter on attention. Help each other by reminding people of appointments, gatherings, meetings, and parties. Just because the event made it to that person's calendar does not mean that it is at the forefront of their mind. So back each other up. Drop your friends an email note or give them a call, "I'm looking forward to seeing you on Friday at 12:15 at the Marriott. Do you need a ride?" or "I just wanted to see what time you are going to arrive at the party on Saturday night." It helps brings those events into focus, and your friends will get a little serotonin rush when they are reminded that they are going to see you. For the introverted people, sometimes holiday parties are a source of stress. Your reaching out to them makes them feel as though their attendance matters, and it increases their chances of coming. 8. Offer specific support. The holidays are a sad time for some people, especially for introverted people, people in a new area, those away from family or friends, and military families with deployed service members. Watch for signs of depression or isolation among friends, families, colleagues, students, and employees. Businesses and managers need to be especially mindful of how their people are doing. Depression rates soar during the holidays because people often expect the holidays to be a magical time of happiness. When those expectations are disappointed, people can become depressed. Inclusion is the key to solving problems of isolation. Reach out to others and invite them to events. Follow up to make sure they know that you sincerely want them to be part of the gathering. 9. Give yourself a present of presence. Try to enjoy each less moment, rather than worrying about what is going to happen in six hours (I know, and I am a planning person, but too much of that can get in the way of enjoying the moment). The focus is at the moment and enjoying whatever is happening right now. Tim Saunders recommends substituting the words "have to " with "get to." I get to pick up the kids at school. I get to set the holiday table. I get to see my friends and family at a party tonight. Just substituting those verbs on your to-do list creates a sense of gratitude. Many people postpone enjoyment because they mentally feel as though they need to gear up for enjoyment. Take the time to be happy now. 10. Make giving a part of the season. Try to practice anonymous and random acts of kindness. Many of us know people who really do not need another single thing in their homes or their lives. So please consider supporting a charity or giving a goat, or a chicken or a cow or a rabbit in the name of your gift recipient. Organizations provide livestock and resources to people and villages who desperately need sustainable food resources. It can save lives, and it makes for a unique and worthwhile gift. Please enjoy a stress-free holiday!
Unexpected Ways FerienwohnungGrächen Can Make Your Life Better Although the holiday season is a joyous time of year that is full of celebration, it also can be stressful for some people. Preparation for various holiday celebrations require a good amount of time and work and can often be overwhelming if not properly handled. The following list provides ten organizational tips that can help us all breathe a little easier over the holiday season. Make more than a Gift List: Your gift list should not be the only list you make during the holiday season. Jotting down a quick organizational list of the things you need to get done can make things a lot easier. Although it seems like a simple solution, it will help clear the clutter in your head and realize what the important tasks are. Don't Rule Out the Secret Santa: With certain circles of family, FerienwohnungGrächen and friends it makes perfect sense to not have to buy a gift for every person. This can be very expensive and time consuming. A Yankee Swap or Secret Santa game makes gift-giving cheaper, faster, and fun. Distribute the work: If you are hosting a holiday party or dinner, you might try to take on the full brunt of the preparation yourself, which can be quite overwhelming. Don't be hesitant to distribute some of the preparation and cleanup work to other family members, friends or party goers - after all they are having fun on your watch. Pace Yourself: Try to not leave most of your holiday preparation to the last minute before your celebration. Do some of the work ahead of time by cleaning up, buying long term frozen food items and perhaps a few logs in the fireplace. Enjoy Yourself: Although you are running the show, try to make some time to enjoy yourself. After all, what's the point of celebrating the holidays if you spend the whole time slaving over a stove and cleaning up the house? Get your helpers to take over for an hour or two while you help yourself to a glass of wine and chat with friends. Realize You Can't Please Everyone: If you are throwing a large party for family and friends there are sure to be a few conflicting personalities around. Don't try to be the person who makes everyone happy - that's simply impossible. This goes for gift giving as well - you can buy some great gifts for friends and family but not everyone is going to be happy. Prepare with some Junk Hauling: Preparation is king: it can certainly prevent an untimely holiday disaster. One way to better prepare is to haul off all the extra clutter in your home and make room for people to walk around the house and breathe a little. Every home has an array of furniture, toys, equipment, and junk that is simply collecting dust and getting in the way all the time. Get a junk hauling service to come by before your holiday party to efficiently remove those items and make room for your celebration. Breathe, seriously: It may sound stupidly simple, but making sure you take time amidst all the holiday chaos to take a second for a deep breath can be a game changer. Concentrating on your breathing will drastically decrease your stress level and allow you to continue with the task at hand. Get Your Holiday Exercise On: Whether it is a post dinner walk around the block, a jog on the treadmill or a flag football game, try to get out and make your body active during the holidays. Because of the cold weather, many of us are inclined to 'hibernate,' but that can lead to a low energy day. Exercise will provide you with the fuel to keep going through your holiday preparation cycle. Practice Moderation: Many people take the holiday season as a time for excess eating, drinking and buying. Although it's great to have a little fun, if you over-do it during the holidays it can lead to post-holiday depression and regret. Have fun doing the little things that you love, but doesn't do them in excess.
Features Of FerienhausGrächen That Make Everyone Love It People have been talking about holiday stress ever since it became popular to be stressed-out about anything and everything. When you think about it from a logical viewpoint, it just does not make sense to go through holiday stress. Have you ever looked up the definition of the word holiday? If not, here a few definitions that I have found for the word holiday-a day on which ordinary business is suspended; a day of exemption from work; a time or period of exemption from any requirement, duty, or assignment; a feast day; a period of cessation from work; a day of recreation. All I can think about when I read these definitions is fun, enjoyable, a break from the normal work grind, and celebrating life. Where is stress found in any of these definitions? Let's consider the nature, FerienhausGrächen and effects of stress. Stress in its most simplistic form is the body's reaction to change that demands that we make physical, mental, or emotional adjustments. Stress can cause physical pain because it causes people to unconsciously tense in almost every part of their body. Headaches, digestive problems, ulcers, insomnia, fatigue, high blood pressure, heart-attacks, and more can result from the intensity of stress in your life. The most common emotional responses to stress are anxiety, anger, and depression. The next question I would ask is why would time off work and the celebration of a feast day and such cause such horrendous reactions to the body, mind, and emotions? The answer to this question can be very complex. A simple response is the world that we live in today has put a load of stress on people from every direction. The load of stress that most people carry in everyday ordinary life is already more than enough to cause a personal physical and mental breakdown. When the load of holiday stress is added to the equation, sometimes it is simply too much for a person to bear. Here are some ways that holiday stress can throw an already stressed-out world into a tailspin. The demand on our finances is already enough. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's holidays demand even more of our finances and often the resulting debt that can go on throughout the coming year. Sometimes it is stressful to be around family that we don't know well, don't like, and don't connect with. It is stressful to pull together a huge dinner, find the time to buy and wrap a ton of presents, and miss so much work that you know that you will have to work overtime to get back on track. Many people have suffered loss during previous holidays and the season reminds them of those losses. Many people, particularly older people, have no one to celebrate with and they find it difficult to face the most festive time of the year alone. Whatever the stressor is, it is. I am sure the above list can go on and on. None of the issues are easy to manage or solve. The only way that I know to overcome stress in the holiday season is to stop focusing on the stresses. While we focus on is the stresses in our lives, we cannot maximize the joy of and the reason that we celebrate the holiday in the first place. We lose sight of the fact that the holiday is about people not money. The joy of the holiday is to understand the purpose of the holiday and internalize its value in our hearts. The finances, the toys, and the big feasts that we have to prepare are pain that we have added to the holiday and in reality they have nothing to do with the true meaning of the holiday itself. As the pain grows with every passing year, we forget that there is a reason for the season. We forget that the celebration is a cause to be thankful and enjoy the many gifts and blessings that we have as we gather with those who are close to us. Let me encourage you to focus on the joy of the season this year. Forget everything else. Understand that the finances, the family, the food and all the rest are part of it. But these things are no the stars of the holiday show. If you don't have the most amazing meal or if you are not able to buy the perfect gift for the special people in your life then don't stress over it. Just do the best that you can make it a relaxed and joyful occasion. Don't exceed your means to buy things that others will forget about before the New Year arrives. There is a phrase that is infiltrating stores and media today that, in my opinion, is the best way to keep yourself focused on having a good time and enjoying the holidays as they should be enjoyed and celebrated. That phrase is, "Live, Laugh, Love." Do that and you will be on a good track to rediscovering the reason for the festive season that is now upon us!
Things Nobody Told You About Chalet Grächen Most of us a familiar with the statistics showing that holiday time has one of the highest suicide and depression rates of the whole year. Even if you are not feeling overtly depressed or even suicidal, it is quite possible that you may be one the millions of people who have feelings of loneliness and sadness this time of year. So what is it about the holidays that causes us to feel so sad? The problem is not with the holidays themselves, but with the many stories and beliefs we hold about them. It's important for us to understand that we never have an emotional reaction unless we have perceived something , Chalet Grächenand judged it in some way - good or bad. Once we see the truth or "what is" about the holidays we no longer will be affected by any story that our minds put forth. Some things we may believe are: You should never be alone this time of year, everyone should be with someone. You should connect with your family this time of year. You should not go on a vacation, holiday time without your family. If you are not with people at the holidays you are not loved. If I were in a relationship I would not be alone now. I have no friends where I live now and the holidays are making it worse. I have nothing to do and no parties to attend, no one wants me. These are just a few things you may be thinking as there are many sad stories of holiday woe, so do make a note of what lies your mind has been proposed to you so you can move past them. This is how I approach these thought-forms so I can enjoy the holidays with an open heart, gratitude and joy. First, I recognize that my family also has many beliefs about the holidays that they feel compelled to hold me to. While I respect my family and do my best to be with them (since it brings them so much joy) - there have been times when I've been exhausted and personal time took precedence over being with my family. If this is the case for you - don't defend yourself to your family as you are not a victim. Simply let them know what is going on, what you are doing and do your best to find a way to connect with them again as soon as you can. That is respectful to both dreams. Know that there is no absolute rule that you must be with family at this time of year - but also look at the reasons why you might not want to be with them. If you have any fear on your side born of judgment of any of your family members then you are not acting from love but from your fear-based thought-forms. Second, if you're alone at the holidays, it's because you've created your life that way, not because the world is against you or that you're unlovable. If you've just moved to a new city and you don't know anyone - join a club and go to their holiday activities, take a class in holiday cooking or wine tasting, or even commit to volunteering at your local hospital. Notice how your mind will create the exact conditions you need in your life to prove to you what you already believe about yourself (that you are not loveable). Third, neediness is the expression of a victimized mind that has no self love. If you think your holidays would be better if you were in a relationship this is simply not true. The most important relationship you have is with yourself. And if that is fulfilling you will not need anyone else. Yes, of course it's lovely to have a companion in life as we are social animals - but neediness is not love. Last of all, the bottom line is that the holidays are just another set of days in your life - no better or worse than any other days. It's only because you assign great importance these days do they become painful. I encourage you to purposely spend your holiday with yourself doing fun things like ice-skating, holiday window shopping, catching up with movies, listening to beautiful music in the tub, having a massage, and just relaxing. Learn to take action that proves to you that you love yourself rather than using the holidays to prove that you are not loved.
Simple Guidance For You In UrlaubGrächen Luxury family holidays can create memories to last a lifetime; however, financial considerations may put holiday planning on hold for many families. Careful planning and saving may not be enough to ensure that families can enjoy the luxury holidays of their dreams; however, a number of agencies offer cheap holidays to exotic resort destinations like Tenerife in the Canary Islands and to other scenic regions of Spain. By choosing one of these low-cost agencies to plan and arrange a holiday excursion, the whole family can enjoy a deluxe holiday adventure for far less than would otherwise be possible. Tenerife is the largest of the Canary Islands in Spain and boasts the highest elevation above sea level as well as the tallest mountain in Spain, Mount Teide, which rises over 3000 meters tall. The unspoiled natural surroundings include the national park of the Las Cañadas crater, UrlaubGrächen and numerous lava rock formations; further to the south, tree-covered valleys and untamed forests offer adventure and a challenge to hikers and amateur naturalists. Luxury family holidays in the area are more often available at far less cost than other European destinations due to the lower cost of living and lower prices available in Spain; this can allow families to enjoy cheap holidays in exotic surroundings without sacrificing the quality of their accommodations or their activities. Because of its near-tropical climate, Tenerife offers a wide range of activities perfect for family holidays. Carnival is held in February each year throughout the islands as a celebration of the end of Lent; the colorful costumes and extensive parades in the capital city of Santa Cruz are perfect for families with children, while the late-night street dances are perhaps best reserved for the older members of the family. Music lovers can combine their luxury holidays in Tenerife with one of the seasonal music festivals; the Music Festival of the Canary Islands is held each June, while the Sabandeño Festival takes place in September and features folklore music from around the region. The tourism trade in Tenerife and, indeed, throughout Spain is designed to cater to English-speaking customers; shopping centers, water parks, and restaurants all offer courteous service in English to their customers. The leading industry of the Canary Islands is tourism; as a result, tourists and holiday makers will enjoy a friendly, welcoming atmosphere throughout their luxury holidays in Tenerife. Travelers can choose among dozens of reasonably-priced resorts in the area, each with its own unique atmosphere and special attractions certain to please even the most particular family members. Cheap holidays in Tenerife can truly be a once-in-a-lifetime family bonding experience that will be remembered and discussed for years to come.
Things You Should Know About FerienGrächen Families have been visiting the beautiful Spanish island for generations to enjoy an annual cheap holiday Majorca style, and while in the past the majority of visitors have tended to be British and European, more people are now travelling from places further afield like the States in order to enjoy the holiday atmosphere that seems to be in place all year round. If you want an inexpensive holiday in the Balearics then this is definitely the place to go. While traditional buildings and way of life are still very much in evidence here, there is also a newness becoming apparent in the sprouting up of stylish resorts and up-market restaurants and clubs. Enjoying a budget holiday in Majorca doesn't mean that you don't experience a quality holiday as a lot of the charm of Majorca lies within its scenery and idyllic beaches, which are rated as some of the best in Europe, and these are free to enjoy. And with the numerous water parks and air-conditioned shopping malls there is definitely something for everyone regardless of their age. The often younger party-goers can enjoy the terrific nightlife of Magaluf where much larger groups have fun in the sun during the day and then party the night away in the many clubs and bars. Those preferring a quieter time during their cheap holiday Majorca might prefer a gentler setting such as Cala San Vicente, Palma Nova or Puerto Pollensa where the easy going atmosphere lends itself to a relaxing and restful Majorcan holiday. Holidaying in Majorca is also ideal for those visitors wanting a more cultural stay, and the medieval villages that are still occupied by local craftspeople that to this day carry out their crafts in the centuries old time-honored ways are a delight. While you're there you can see the exquisite glass or ceramics that have been crafted and perhaps choose some unique souvenirs to take home with you. When choosing where to stay during your trip to Majorca you'll need to decide if you would rather a self-catering or all-inclusive stay. The price you pay for your holiday will obviously depend upon this, but it will also depend on the style of accommodation you choose. Larger groups can sometimes get a better deal if they choose to rent a holiday villa as they can split the cost between them. For more information to visit my website.