The Elf Blog

Christmas Countdown - 7 Months!

Christmas is seven months from today! I'm already excited! Remember: the purpose of the Christmas countdown is to help you prepare. If you follow the countdown, when Christmas Eve rolls around, you'll be relaxed and ready to celebrate.

Here are the things you should begin working on over the next few months:

• Keep updating your Christmas card list. (If you don't have one, make one.) Summer is a big time for moves and marriages, so it's helpful to keep the addresses current.

• If you plan to make gifts, now is a very good time to start. You can do a little at a time and still finish. It’s a great thing to do on a rainy day at the beach.

• If you are vacationing (or traveling for business) this summer, be on the lookout for charming and unusual gifts for those you love. I've bought some of my favorite gifts at little boutiques I've visited on my travels.

• Have a conversation with family about where you will celebrate the holidays. As soon as that is decided, make any travel arrangements needed. The earlier you book a plane flight, the better price you’ll get and the more choices you’ll have.

• Make a budget for the holidays. I tend to look at Halloween through New Year's. It should include all aspects of your celebration: gifts, travel, food, entertainment, decorations, cards and postage, etc. If you have not already started saving to cover these costs, start now. You should never go into debt to celebrate the holidays. Having a budget and saving throughout the year will allow you to keep control of your spending while prioritizing the things that mean the most to you.

Elf Out -- Only Temporarily

The Elf is off for a few days for her annual New England fall foliage adventure (and Christmas shopping!)

I'll be back soon.

Christmas Countdown -- Three Months

Christmas is three months from today!  It’s time to kick the Christmas countdown into high gear. 

Within the next month, you need to complete the following tasks:

• Make your holiday travel plans, purchasing tickets if necessary.
• If you are throwing a party, let folks know to save the date.  Time for socializing fills up quickly in December, so stake your claim now.
• Update your Christmas card address list.
• Write down your Christmas gift list.  You don't have to start shopping yet (though it’s not a bad idea), but you should at least decide who you'll be shopping for.
• If you plan to make gifts or decorations, purchase all craft supplies and start work.
• Pull out your holiday recipe file and start narrowing down the ones you want to try.
• Make room in the cabinets, refrigerator, and freezer for the holiday surplus.  Every time you make a meal, think about what staples you can incorporate.  Don’t buy in bulk unless you REALLY need it.  Toss out stuff that’s old or has gone bad or developed freezer burn.  Donate those 8 extra cans of tuna you bought on sale that you know you aren’t going to use.
• Finalize your holiday budget and make sure you know where the money is coming from.  If you don't have enough saved, you need to reduce the budget.  It’s easier to do that now than on December 10^th.
• Stop buying things you don't absolutely need.  Put them on your Christmas list instead.
• Start saving the address labels that come in the mail.

Remember, the goal of this countdown is to help you do a little at a time so that you are never overstressed and you can enjoy the season.  Who wants to skip a great party because you have to finish cleaning before the houseguests arrive?  Why pass up a walk to look at the lights followed by cocoa because those gifts HAVE to be shipped tomorrow. 

Follow these pointers and by the time the holidays roll around, you’ll be well-prepared and filled with Christmas spirit.

Finally Home

Last night I returned home from my latest business trip.  This morning I did the math.  I have been away from home for 29 of the last 76 nights -- that's nearly 40% of the time.

On the plus side, I expect to be away only 5 of the next 60 -- a most welcome change.

I guess that's why I feel like the summer has passed me by and I'm behind at everything. Now, I need to focus on catching up and organizing my life.

Travel and Exercise

As long as we're talking about travel, let's talk about exercising while you travel.  If you travel often, for business or pleasure, you can't afford to break your exercise program every time you go away.  So, you need to plan to exercise when you travel.

If you stay in a major chain hotel, the hotel is likely to have a gym.  Hotel gyms vary widely in quality.  Some have a few old machines -- half of which are broken.  Others have a wide range of top of the line equipment. In most gyms, however, you can at least find a treadmill for running or walking and/or a stationary bike.  That, plus some push-ups, squats, and crunches will make for a good workout.  If the gym has a stability ball and hand weights, you can do a very full workout.

Another option is to run outdoors.  It's a great way to get a sense of a city you may be visiting.  I find that asking at the front desk is a great way to get advice about safe and scenic running routes. Of course, not every neighborhood is safe for running.  And the weather and timing may not be good.

A final option is to develop a basic set of exercises you can do in a hotel room.  Pushups, crunches, squats, mountain climbers, leg lifts, and yoga don't require much space or any special equipment.  You can place a large bath towel on the floor to keep your face away from the carpet.

You just want to have something you can do in 30-45 minutes to keep your body in shape, even when your schedule is odd.

Working in Transit

I am doing some work-related travel this week, involving planes and trains.  I got a lot of work accomplished on today's train ride, but it got me to thinking about how I use travel time.

Is it better to use my time in transit on planes and trains to do work or to do pleasurable things.  Since the distractions are limited in transit -- no office phone, no tv, no internet -- you can be very productive.You can also get some rest or read an entire book without interruption (depending on how long your trip takes).

As a rule, if I'm traveling for business on a work day, I try to be productive with my time (unless I'm en route to a meeting that will keep me busy all weekend).  But if I'm on vacation or traveling on a weekend, it's time tobreak out the novel and enjoy!

How Do You Use Your Commute?

For many of us, our commute reprsents a substantial portion of our day.  For me, it's about an hour and a half.

How do you use that time? I ride the subway for about 40 minutes each day (the rest of the time is spent walking). While I'm on the subway, I try to read my newspaper or a magazine.  If you drive, do you catch up on the news on the radio?  Listen to an audiobook? Drive safely?

How do you plan your route?  Do you try to plan errands along the way so you only have to make one trip?

Well, I'm off.  I have to commute home -- stopping twice to run errands.

Christmas Countdown -- 6 months (minus a few days!)

Actually, last Friday was 6 months until Christmas Eve, but things have been a bit nuts at work lately, so I'll step in here with the next installment of the Christmas Countdown:

1)  If you don't have a holiday budget, develop one now.  Keep in mind that if you have a holiday budget in place, some of those vacation purchases can become gift purchases!

2)  If you need to trim your budget to make it realistic, now is the time to discuss cutting back on spending for gifts or limiting travel costs or other purchases.  You may be able to throw a party jointly with a friend and cut your entertainment costs.  Thinking about it now gives you more options. 

3) Keep updating your card address list. 

4)  If you can decide your travel now, you can buy your tickets with maximum choice of seats and at great prices.  Some sites (like Orbitz) even offer price assurance, so if someone else gets the same flight cheaper, they'll refund the difference to you.  If the costs are high, consider travel insurance -- just in case.

5) If you plan to make some gifts (apart from baking), start planning now.  The lazy days of summer may be the best time to knit that sweater, make the jewelry, or compile the scrapbook.  Some things can only be done in the summer.  Take advantage of seasonal produce to make jam and pickles or can peaches and tomatoes.  A basket filled with your home preserves makes a lovely gift and brings the summer alive in the depths of winter.

Coming Home from Vacation

Despite the fact that I have traveled extensively for the last several years, my most recent trip helped me recognize a lack in my planning.

I have discovered that I need a task list for when I come home from a trip.  When you get home, there are many things to do to get back into the normal swing of things. You need to unpack, do laundry, take care of mail, restock groceries, etc.

As I prepare for my next major trip (in less than 10 days), I'll be developing my "coming home" list.

Off to Alaska

I am off to Alaska today!  (Not quite the North Pole, but close enough for now.)

I'll be back to chat with you all on Wednesday.