Put Yourself in the Schedule

Have you noticed?
The season is coming, all right. My local stores are starting to fill up their Christmas aisles. My holiday senses are gearing up and getting ready! But are you feeling excited, like me, or are you dreading how quickly Christmas is approaching?

Gone are the days when I would dread the arrival of the holidays, with all its busyness and pressures. I look forward to Christmas all year, now, and you can, too.

How? Start by putting YOU in the schedule. When you anticipate relaxing times of soaking up the atmosphere and the spirit of Christmas, the busy hustle-and-bustle aspect fades away. At least long enough so that you can guarantee yourself and your family some real enjoyment.

How to do it? There are many ways. First off, however, just take the powerful move of SCHEDULING a "Do Nothing" night. Don't worry, it won't turn out to be a do nothing night, but scheduling it that way will ensure that it can be a "Do what you really want to do night." If you don't schedule it in, chances are something will come along--something you don't REALLY want to do--and fill it up. When all the weekends get filled up, either with "have to do's" or "should do's" (and we all know how easily that can happen), you won't have any time for "WANT to do's."

I'll talk lots more about how to enjoy the season, and lots of nineteenth century ideas will come into play. But for now, until next post, schedule a night or two (or three, if you're really brave) for "DO NOTHING" nights in December. They'll end up being the best nights of your holiday celebrations for the year.

Bringing in the Yule Log!

In olde England, a huge part of the excitement of Christmas was bringing in the Yule Log. This was an event which was anticipated by keeping a small figment of last year's Log, safely stowed away where it would be secure, to use when lighting the current year's (new) log. We are not talking about a small log like the ones you see on TV screens on Christmas Eve in the US (which is fine if you don't have a fireplace of your own). But the special Yule Log was HUGE--it went in the main fireplace, usually in the kitchen, or, in a parlour if the fireplace could fit it. Think partial tree trunk, here. The tree or log was carefully picked out ahead of time so that when the time came for it to be brought into the house, (no sooner than Christmas Eve)it would already have been cut and dry enough to light well.



This log was traditionally supposed to last not only throughout Christmas Eve, to usher in the holiday, but all through Christmas Day, too. It was used to heat up the festive drinks, such as nog and wassail; and it was used for cooking Christmas dinner. If the log lasted, all was fine and dandy; if not, it was considered bad luck! And a charred piece of it was also to be kept as the fire-starter for the following year's Christmas fire. Know any other facts about the Yule Log? Post a comment! Soon I'll be picking one comment each week and rewarding a free copy of the Christmas book to the commenter! Comments on all posts from October through December count!