The Tribune

By BIANCA CARTER

IT IS hard to believe that another year has come, and almost gone.

For me, this year has definitely been a blur. The most wonderful time of the year is well in gear, and it’s hard for most of us to learn to relax and enjoy the moment.

It’s the enjoy part, that is really important. With all that our lives have going on, trying to keep up in a world that seems light years ahead, how do you make sure that you take time for you and learn to sit back and smell the roses?

A good friend once cautioned me to take time out of my life to enjoy all its beauty: the beauty of watching my children learn and grow and the beauty of being a part of this beautiful world, and all its magnificent wonder. It’s hard to do that when you are full speed ahead on a goal that you have set for yourself or fully consumed by all the things going on in life.

Whether it is getting that promotion at work, training for a marathon or getting a higher education, we have become really good at over committing ourselves with task upon task.

So this Christmas, give yourself a call to action; a call to take back the once loved, busy, crazy and hectic season of Christmas, and commit to enjoying it. The most sensible thing to do is to know your stress triggers and avoid them or find ways to work through them.

If you are an organising queen, if you panic when things are last minute and not done on time, then here is your siren to start preparing and packing those Christmas gifts now. Do a little a day, and it will be done in no time. And if wrapping stresses you out, find a teenager and pay them to do it - I’m sure they will appreciate some Christmas money.

I find that once the wrapping is done, all you need to focus on is cooking and delivering gifts to your loved ones, which is super fun when it’s not the night before Christmas.

Most family gatherings at Christmas are “pot luck” style, so start planning the menu now or at least what you’re planning to bring. Planning early gives you the opportunity to experiment, it’s fun to try something new. Cooking is also a fun thing to do with the kids. Quick, easy and kid-friendly recipes are a great way to disengage from all of the clutter in your head and spend time with the kids. Give them little jobs to do that they can’t really mess up, like stirring and pouring. They like to help and, of course, love to eat whatever holiday treat you have prepared.

Keep heavy topics out of the party. No one wants to get into a heavy debate at Christmas and if you happen to have one of those confrontational family members that is just itching to talk about those things like politics, find a nice and appropriate way to change the subject!

This holiday, give yourself-the powerhouse woman, wife and superhero mom, a gift from you. Take time to smell the roses, to appreciate all the good things that life has to offer and don’t sweat the small stuff. Organise and plan early, spend time with your family, and have fun. You deserve it!

Here’s to another year of Yuletide cheer!

Love & Hugs!

• Bianca Carter is a Certified Lactation Counsellor (CLC) and Founder of Bun in the Oven. For more information, email her at info@babybunintheoven.com, follow BITO on Facebook at babybunintheoven, and check out the BITO blog every Monday and Thursday at http://babybunintheoven.com