A letter to myself.

When my kids were young I attended a life-giving parent education program at a local church.  It was a time every week to focus on one child and gather with other parents who were celebrating and struggling with the same things as I was.  One year, in January, my teacher asked us all to write a letter to ourselves about the changes we would like to make to our holiday season.  What traditions did we want to preserve?  What simply wasn't working?  What new things did we want to try?  The plan was that she would send us these letters in the fall, before the crush of holiday craziness descended.  A gentle reminder from ourselves of how to make our lives and our family experiences better.

My big goal that year was to get all my holiday shopping done by Thanksgiving and get the cards out that weekend.  I knew that if I was successful, I would be able to turn my focus to the kids' various holiday programs and events, taking time to reinforce the traditions that we were establishing and be able to ENJOY the season that I so loved myself as a child.

You know what!  It worked! And I have kept that goal for many years.  The kids are grown, so the stresses have changed.  But, that one letter to myself made a huge difference in my quality of life in December.

 I'm here in your inbox to tell you that it is time to book your fall family session.  Holiday card companies typically run big sales (20-30% off)  in October.  Think about it. You can save big money on your cards and have them done early.  Get that one thing off your to-do list before the crush of "the season."

Take time now to write a letter to yourself about what is working and what needs to change so that you can find the joy in spending time with your family and celebrating what is meaningful to you.  You might be surprised how well it works.

Warmest,

Lisa