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This is a great time to reflect and look through the eyes of a child at the wonder of the season.  Let the kids decorate the tree….this may drive the OCD in you crazy. 🙂 However, they will be so proud of themselves, they may just pull up a stool and sit and stare at it. My son decided that he wanted to add his own touch and took one of his toy saw’s, tied a string to it and added it to the tree.

Trying to wrap presents while kids are awake is another task that should be done at a different time of day. I locked my self in my room to wrap presents, but again my 5yr old found me. He asked me what I was doing. I said wrapping presents, and of course wanted to help. But, I said some are for you. So he decided to wait in the hallway and ask me every two minutes if it was safe to come in. After letting him in he went looking in my room for his presents, I asked him what he was doing, and he said he wanted to know how many he got.

Every year some people are easy to buy for and some you need to explore a bit more and ask questions. One of the more challenging ones for me this year was my 18 year old, being a young lady that know what she likes. As much as I wanted to get her some custom jewellery she wanted the universal gift certificate.

So far so good with my 11yr, I can still make her smile.

The goal with any present is that you want someone to feel good and see them smile, with a twinkle in their eye.

Happy Holidays

My Little Secret had a great time on Breakfast Television this morning. We were invited to discuss who we are and what we do…

At anytime of year it can become overwhelming looking after a loved one in different stages of need. Taking time for yourself and gathering with other helps as a outlet to share idea’s and confirmation that you are on the right track.

Please check out this up and coming workshop.

I’m Very Unsettled By Things

Those suffering from any type of holiday depression or stress may benefit from increased social support during this time of year. For uncomplicated holiday blues, improvement may be found by finding ways to reduce the stresses associated with the holiday, either by limiting commitments and outside activities, making arrangements to share family responsibilities such as gift shopping and meal preparation, agreeing upon financial limits for purchases, or taking extra time to rest and rejuvenate.

Counseling or support groups are another way to relieve some of the burdens of holiday stress or sadness. Knowing that others feel the same way and sharing your thoughts and experiences can help you manage your troubling feelings. Support groups also provide a further layer of social support during this vulnerable time period.

In addition to being an important step in preventing the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder, regular exposure to light that is bright, particularly fluorescent lights, significantly improves depression in people with SAD during the fall and winter. Phototherapy is commercially available in the form of light boxes, which are used for approximately 30 minutes daily. The light required must be of sufficient brightness, approximately 25 times as bright as a normal living room light. The light treatment is used daily in the morning and evening for best results.

Visiting other areas of the world that are characterized by more bright light (such as the Caribbean) can also improve the symptoms of SAD.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday season!