Energize For A Happy Holiday Season

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Decking the halls and spreading good cheer takes a lot of energy, and no one knows that like a mom. Here are some tips to make sure you enjoy every last fa-la-la.

1. Rise and SHINE.
Greet each day in the right frame of mind. Here's one technique to help you do so. Inspired by Arnold Patent's "Ideal Day Exercise," this method is so empowering, you may find yourself skipping past the coffeepot.

As you lie in bed, summon the physical feeling that accompanies unabashed, unbridled joy. You know the feeling, though it's one you may have felt only a few times in your life. It's a feeling that's impossible to put into words, through I once heard it described as the urge to throw your shoes way, way up in the air, and I think that's accurate. Seize that feeling. Experience that sense of joy fizzing inside you. Keep hold of it until you feel as though you're ready to pop. Then pop out of bed.

I follow this with a mantra or saying that I repeat, throughout the day, as a reminder to return to my center of joyful energy. My favorites: "What we focus on expands," "Joy to the world," and "This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it." Recite a rousing quote, a line from a song, an inspiring verse from your own religious faith, or make up your own saying.

2. Stay centered
An energetic and peaceful holiday season is possible only when you strive to live with integrity the whole year through. Right now, ask yourself: What do you value, above all else? What comes second? Third? How important is your spirituality, your family, your time for yourself, your profession?

After some thought and reflection, rank your top priorities on a Post-it-Note where you'll see it throughout the day. (Mine's on my computer monitor).

Use your list when asked to make commitments and compromises. If the request doesn't jibe with your list, you don't just have permission, you have an obligation to say no.

This list of priorities may set the course for new holiday traditions, as well. Perhaps you will donate toys, books, and food to charities. Perhaps you will help serve dinner at a homeless shelter instead of indulging in a huge holiday meal. Bringing joy to the world outside your own is one of the most energizing things you can do.

For a moment or two, indulge the ghost of Christmas Past. What memories immediately come forth that evoke a fond nostalgia? For me, it isn't the gifts or the shopping or even the parties. It's rocking my infant, alone, by candlelight, to "Silent Night." It's letting the 2-year-old crack the eggs for the cookies, and seeing the pride on her floury face.

Decide what the holidays are to you. Then make a plan to weave more of those activities into your holidays, and reduce the rest.

3. Deck the halls with light and love
Don't let commercialism spoil your fun. Make the simple promise to yourself that, this year, you'll enjoy your holiday shopping. Brainstorm ways you can make this happen.

For me, the mall is a giant energy drain. The look of worried resignation as a shopper hands over her credit card tells me that she's shopping out of a sense of obligation and not one of joy. And it sours my holiday spirit.

Instead, I carve out an afternoon all to myself. I put on an Andrea Bocelli CD, sip Chai tea from a giant mug, and curl up with a fleece blanket to surf the Internet and page through catalogs. That's how I find just the right something for everyone on my very short list. When it ceases to be fun, I stop.

I so enjoy shopping this way that, throughout the year, I bookmark sites that offer just the right items. Sites such as GAIAM, which couples a commitment to sustainable commerce, the environment, and personal health with natural products for relaxation and self-care. www.gaiam.com

Sites such as Little Did I Know.com. Everything on this site is either handmade, distributed, or invented by a work-at-home mom. Ordering from them means supporting such families and the value systems they embrace. http://www.littledidiknow.com

Sites such as SERRV International, a nonprofit organization that helps to improve conditions for artisans in developing countries through free trade. Here, you can purchase everything from home furnishings to jewelry made in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. (SERRV even allows you to purchase coffee directly from the growers. The prices are affordable and you'll be drinking in the good karma every morning.) Click here.