Have a Healthy & Creative Christmas This Year!

Don't You just love this gorgeous time of Christmas lights and decorations and joyful expectation! Wow! I do. Though... I hope Your Christmas season did not start off the way mine did! Let me elaborate. I was doing some shopping and really enjoying my time. I was visiting one of my favorite stores - a special tea store - and feasting on the rich, healthful aromas and tastes, picking out those most pleasant to my taste buds. I was about to pay for my chosen teas... when I could not find my card. I searched from everywhere, but no card. So, I left my teas and hurried back to where I had made my last payment. Good news was that the cashier had taken my card to the information desk. So, I rushed to the desk and got my card back. What a relief! I paid for my teas and went on with my shopping. I suddenly spotted some really cute hand-knitted, colorful hats. I had exactly the people in mind who I wanted to buy those hats for. As it was a private person who sold them, I had to take out cash from the cash machine. I got the cash and bought the cute hats. Wow! I was so happy and content. I went on with my shopping, now feeling truly elevated and victorious. In a little while, I once again found myself searching for my card in order to pay for the items I wished to purchase... and once again, no card! No way, I thought! It could not be happening again! But it was. I had forgotten my card into the cash machine and it had swallowed it. Just this moment I got a phone-call. A lady was letting me know that I could come and pick up my car. I had dropped off my car to get the tires changed - we have to change our Summer tires into the Winter tires by the 1st of December - and had decided to do some shopping in the near-by mall to kill the time. Now I needed to pick up my car and I had no card to pay with and no cash. I apparently was yet again in one of my complete absentminded-modes. I had to quickly figure out what to do... which meant calling someone who could think straight and give me wise instructions or come and save me. Luckily there was a bank close by and I was able to cancel my card and get a replacement card to be able to get cash. So, I got my car but I missed my next appointment because I spent too much time on messing up.

Still, the good thing is, I did not lose my Christmas spirit in the midst of my adventures in the mall. I am grateful for that. For I love Christmas. It is the most special and the most wonderful time of a year. In Estonia, it is the darkest time of the whole year. It starts getting dark right after 3 p.m. so, You can imagine us loving the Christmas lights and all glittering decorations. We actually NEED them in order to get us through this otherwise dark and cold time of a year. I love to decorate with a lot of gold - sparks things up! Keeps me awake too!

In order to have a more relaxing and pleasant shopping time, I have some useful tips for You:

* When You go shopping, write down exactly what You are going to buy and who You need a gift for, so that You won't be distracted by the millions of offers all around, ending up with stuff You do not even know who to give to... stuff You bought because they looked so cute on the window... they were SO cheap...

* Prepare Your shopping day ahead, knowing how You are going to move in order to have the shortest distances between Your stops;

* If You prepare for a long shopping day, take some healthy snacks with You, so You can snack while shopping and You won't be tempted to go and have some unhealthy and fattening fast food;

* Bring a bottle of water or juice with You. Sometimes we start feeling hungry when we really are thirsty. Take sips of water while shopping;

* Try to replace sweet with spicy. Sometimes when instead of reaching for a sweet snack, we take a bite of spicy or pickled snack, we feel that we don't crave the sweet snack any longer;

* And even better, do Your shopping online... saves You a lot of time and stress (and perhaps keeps You from losing something on the way, IF You too tend to get absent-minded);

* ...or use one of my favorite options - create something Yourself for Your loved ones. Make a card or a little gift Yourself. Putting Your own time and creativity and love in a gift, is the most precious gift of all. You can weave two good things into one - create something Yourself while doing it with Your best friends or family - make it a quality time with Your loved ones.

One of my absolutely, completely, unquestionably favorite things about Christmas is spending time with my family. Every year we take a special time to create something with our own hands. This year I couldn't do it with my treasured sister as she now lives in the States... and my other sister is so busy doing her exams while her 3-year-old tries to squeeze as much of his mummy's attention as he can. So, I took my mom and made an appointment with a silk painter. I decided we were going to paint silk ties to our family's male population... which it is quite numerous. As the artist could take 3 rookies at one time, to instruct, I took one of my friends with. Sure enough, we had a wonderful time. I do think we made quite exquisite ties too... but honestly, it was more about having a good time together. I have to admit, my mom was more concentrated on creating something beautiful, so, her ties look better than mine... but still, all our ties come from our hearts, so, the receives better like them ;-)

Do get together with Your family and treasured friends to create something together, instead of sitting and eating... go for it! What a great way to have fun! Last year my sister Madli created incredibly beautiful Christmas tree decorations of paper, wool and pearls. She gave them as gifts to her friends. My sister Mae has, for years, created little angels that she has given as gifts to her friends. One of my favorite activities has got its roots in the soviet times when we did not have much of anything to create a Christmas mood... for Christmas was banned! We had no candles in stores. So, in order to have candles to burn, we had to make them. Our foreign friends gave us candles as gifts. We did not throw away the left overs. We kept them and at Christmas time we - the kids - and our parents made new candles by melting the old ones together. We got really spectacular ones with all the colors we had stored away and the creative ways of shaping them. I still love to make candles... though a few years ago I managed to set something on fire. (If I had not done it alone, though, nothing would have gone up in flames. I promise!)

Christmas time tends to be a lot about eating... so, here a few tips to survive the holiday dinners:

* Always drink a large glass of water or cold tea 10-20 minutes before dinner. This helps to control the amount You eat. Your stomach will get a feeling of fullness before You manage to overeat;

* When filling Your plate with all the good stuff on the table, choose larger amounts of veggies and greens than other foods;

* If You tend to diet, please forget the diet mentality during the holidays. It will get You into real trouble. Instead, choose the healthier foods in greater quantities and allow Yourself to try also the treats;

* Do not skip meals to save the calories for the big dinner later in the day. This strategy backfires almost always. When You arrive hungry, You will overeat and feel horrible later on;

* Do not ever arrive hungry to a dinner, especially if You are trying to avoid certain foods. If You are hungry, You will choose the most sugary and fatty foods. Instead, eat some healthy snacks, some fruit or veggies about an hour before the dinner and You will have willpower to avoid the unhealthy foods;

* Beware of colas! Choosing to drink water or unsweetened tea at Your meal can save You about 140 empty calories... 280 calories if You get a refill.

In conclusion, let us also not forget the true reason for celebrating Christmas! Jesus Christ said in John 10:10,

"I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)."

May You all have an abundantly blessed Christmas-time. May the joy, love and peace fill Your homes and relationships to the full... till it overflows and blesses those around You,

Eve
Body-Mind-Spirit Health, Fitness & Beauty in Organic Way
http://www.TheSpringOfLife.net