This is an iHeart Podcast.
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeart Radio.
Good morning.
This is Laura.
Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is to make your holiday fun list.
By figuring out what you want to do during this upcoming festive season and figuring out when you can do these things, you increase the chances that you truly enjoy yourself and make the kind of memories that you want to have.
So every year around this time, I make what I call a holiday fun list.
This is a list of all the celebratory things I want to do for the holidays.
I celebrate Christmas, but whatever you celebrate, it tends to be a festive time of year.
It also tends to be a busy time of year.
And there may be more options for shows, light displays and so forth than weekend space available to put these things.
I used to just make a list of the things I wanted to do, like go see Longwood Gardens, see some holiday trains, go to the Nutcracker, have my kids be in the church Christmas pageant.
Then, a few years ago, I realized that, with everyone's schedules, I needed to figure out exactly when we could do these things.
Probably by mid-November.
If I didn't figure out which weekend in November or December we'd go see Luminature at the, we would probably run out of time.
So this year I asked my kids and husband what everyone wanted to do, and then I plotted out the weekends of late November, December and early January.
Yes, it turns out that some displays are still up in January.
Longwood Gardens and the New York Botanical Garden, for instance, both have their holiday displays open until January 11th of this year, for instance.
That buys you a little more time.
We are aiming to do things that don't require strict scheduling as well.
Think holiday baking, holiday Lego building, getting matching Christmas pajamas.
Still, it helps to know roughly when those things will happen.
I am targeting a particular Sunday in December for baking.
That way, I can look forward to it.
I know everyone has different levels of holiday ambitions or comfort with full schedules.
There's no need to pack things in just to do so.
But if you are like me, January and February tend to be a bit ho-hum.
It's okay to be a bit busier in December when there are more things to do.
I also think it would be a bit sad come January to look back and think well, it would have been fun to have a baking day with friends.
So if you are listening to this episode when it is first running in mid-November, Take some time today to list out what you would like to experience this holiday season.
Who would you like to see?
What would you like to do?
Where would you like to go?
Make your list and then share it with the friends and family you would likely be spending time with.
What would they add?
Then get out your calendar and start looking at the time available.
For most people, most things are going to have to happen on the weekends.
There's Thanksgiving weekend, and then three weekends in December before Christmas.
That might not sound like a lot, but fortunately a lot of holiday things don't end right on the 25th.
There's a December weekend after Christmas, and of course, early January.
There might be time in there to hit up a light display or get together with friends for a festive meal.
But all of those things are more likely to happen if you think about them ahead of time and get them on the calendar.
Now, to be sure, I don't recommend planning experiences for every second.
Santa will need time in the workshop, and if you likewise have holiday work you'll need to do like shopping and food prep, then you need to build that in.
Plus, things will come up.
It's nice to have space to get together with people if they suggest it.
The good news is that when we are intentional with our time, I promise that there is usually space during the holiday season for the have-to-dos alongside the want-to-dos.
And if people do want to do things last minute well, now you know what time is available to steer them towards, instead of just saying no because you feel overwhelmed.
I know I am excited about all of it.
So I hope you will make your holiday fun list with me.
We will all enjoy this season and make the kind of memories we will be thinking about well into the new year.
In the meantime, this is Laura.
Thanks for listening.
And here's to making the most of our time.
Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.
If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at laura.com. at lauravandercam.com.
Before Breakfast is a production of iHeart Media.
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