Sheri here –
Did you realize that it is the beginning of October? I sorta just got that message – duh! October is the beginning of the holiday season! Oh my goodness, 2021 is just around the corner (THANK GOODNESS, a BIG sigh of relief).
Did you ever notice how once October starts, it seems like the year is over before you know it we are singing “Auld Lang Syne” for New Years!?
Or at least that’s what prior seasonal routines have indicated!!
Yet, these last months are to be savored, the holidays enjoyed – maybe in a new way.
It’s Time to Start Holiday Planning
Many businesses will start their 2021 planning right now, at this time of year, in the Fourth Quarter.
Maybe we need to adopt that thought for our personal lives for the Fourth Quarter – the Holiday Season.
While we have “normal” Seasonal Routines from prior years, maybe this is the year that we do it differently – rather than letting the holidays happen to us, we direct how it goes!
I started to see some people decorating their homes for Halloween the last weekend in September – it wasn’t even October yet!
What if, you take a few minutes and plan the rest of this Season. That you made decisions about how the old routines, the old traditions might be different – might be new this year.
Certainly, travel and in person contact has been reoriented with physical distancing. Money might be another subject that needs to be addressed earlier – the budget (oops is that a bad word in your mind?) for the holidays need to be re-examined.
What Is Important This Time of Year?
How do you make it special for your family? How do you plan to get together with friends? Ok, maybe you don’t want to think about it now; but, there will probably be differences.
OK, I get it, maybe you just don’t want to think about it – maybe this is a year that some people won’t be present for one reason or another.
This could be an opportunity to really look at your holiday traditions and choose what will make this year’s holidays special. You can have a wonderful end to 2020 with some fore thought and creativity.
Take out a calendar and block some time for yourself, for a bit of planning by yourself, with your friends and your family. What are some of the things that you want to assure stand out as special? While this year they might be different, maybe even some aspects are virtual. A little planning now will help reduce both the anxiety level and the stress level for you and those around you.
By starting now, at the beginning of October, you can create a very special holiday season for you, your family and friends. May it be filled with love, joy and happiness.
One of the things that always seems to loom large is the expectation of decorations, gifts, and entertainment – SPENDING! In my “It’s October – the Start of the Holidays” post last year, I included five Holiday Money Planning Tips that are still applicable this year. Check it out here!
Have you started to think about any of the seasonal routines – the year end holidays? What are you thinking – would you share some of your thoughts? Leave a comment below.
Ciao,
Sheri
