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Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio.
Good morning.
This is Laura.
Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is to make little moments festive.
Getting in the holiday spirit doesn't need to involve big, showy decorations, though obviously it can.
There are lots of little moments through the day where tiny changes can make a big difference.
Every year I make a holiday fun list and plot out when my family will be doing things like visiting holiday train displays or seeing the Nutcracker.
These events tend to involve times and tickets, which isn't a bad thing.
When something is on the schedule and I pay for tickets, I tend to do it.
But some items on the holiday fun list are more about little moments.
For instance, I decided to set the Sirius XM radio channel in my car to 79, which is Holly.
I might get sick of the holiday music eventually, but it's as fun as listening to random pop music for a few weeks and it makes carpool runs feel more festive.
I've been listening to Bach's Christmas Oratorio while doing my daily stretches.
I am practicing for my 2024 project of listening to all the works of Bach.
So in the meantime, why not listen to his famous Christmas masterpiece?
A few weeks ago, I pulled out my stash of Christmas puzzles.
I like to work on 1000 piece puzzles at night because it's relaxing and keeps me off my phone.
When I'm on my phone, I tend to look at the news and that is of course far less relaxing.
So 1,000-piece puzzles it is.
I could work on any sort of puzzle.
So why not do ones with rustic Christmas scenes or pictures of carolers or of Santa sitting by a fire?
I have dug into my stash of old holiday magazines.
I love old magazines in general, especially those from a long time ago, as they show what life was like for normal people in times past.
I have collected some vintage December issues of women's magazines, but I have also kept some that I have subscribed to.
Years of Martha Stewart Living, Better Homes and Gardens, Good Housekeeping, The Oprah Magazine and so forth.
Some of these titles have stopped publishing, which makes me happy that I saved the old ones.
I don't really remember flipping through the December 2013 Martha Stewart Living issue back in 2013, even though I'm sure I did.
So it's like reading a new magazine, and it turns downtime into something more festive.
In any case, we have some discretion over how we spend our leisure time, and especially the little choices like music and reading material that are definitely within our control.
We also have some discretion over small things in our homes, like using holiday soaps or lighting candles.
It is as easy to use evergreen scented soap as lavender scented soap for a few weeks and one probably feels more festive.
If you are reading to kids, why not read a holiday story instead of stories you read the rest of the year?
We can go overboard on this, of course, but Every year, as the weather gets bleak in December, I remember the wisdom of ancient humans holding solstice festivals, and then of the Christian tradition putting this holiday of light during the darkest days of the year.
As the song goes, we need a little Christmas right this very minute.
Even if you don't celebrate Christmas or simply celebrate the secular version of it, a little festivity amid bleakness can be welcome indeed.
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 Before.
Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia.
For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
I'm Dr. Priyanka Wally.
And I'm Hari Kondabolu.
On our new podcast, Health Stuff, we demystify your burning health questions.
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We want to make health less confusing and maybe even a little fun.
Find Health Stuff on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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