Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, December 17, 2016

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Mountain View News Saturday, December 17, 2016 


Walking Sierra Madre…The Social Side 

by Deanne Davis


“As we struggle with shopping lists, to do lists and 
invitations, plus our own unreal expectations for all 
we expect ourselves to do, it is good to be reminded 
that there are people in our lives who are worth this 
aggravation, and people to whom we are worth the 
same.” Donald E. Westlake

 It’s Tuesday. Time Warner Cable was out all day 
yesterday, we spent the morning, my ever supportive 
best friend, John, and I, dealing with all the stuff one 
has to do when someone runs into your car, i.e., filing 
the claim, getting the estimate, crying. And there are 
twelve days left till Christmas. Ack!

 Cranberry-apple bread is in the freezer and two 
kinds of cookie batter will be finished this morning. 
The apple butter, lemon marmalade and strawberry 
preserves are beautiful, labeled and ready to pack up for 
all the folks on John’s client list and assorted friends and 
family in far away places. 

 Our house looks beautiful. Our carpets have been 
gloriously cleaned. We have two dinner parties all 
planned, ready to prepare and enjoy. Most of the 
shopping is done...a word of gratitude here for Amazon.
com. The only shopping I need to do is a trip to Petunia’s 
here in town for some new earrings for my daughters. 

 Our Huntington Beach son, John, and his wife, 
Michon, who is one of my dearest family members, 
posted a video on Facebook of their two little boys, 
Caleb (3) and Brady (1) admiring their beautifully 
decorated Christmas tree which is totally surrounded 
by baby gates. I watched this several times and it made 
me laugh and quit stressing over all the stuff that isn’t 
done...like Christmas cards. A brief aside: Why do we 
send Christmas cards? Mainly to find out if everybody 
we send them to is still alive and married to the same 
people they were married to last year.

 One of my favorite authors, Michelle Griep, 
publishes a daily blog, Writer Off The Leash, which I 
enjoy tremendously on a daily basis. Here’s what she 
shared today and it’s so good I want to pass it along, 
with many thanks for this good advice, to all of you 
dear friends and neighbors.

Five Ways To Slay Holiday Stress

 

Change Your Perspective

Sometimes all that needs to be slain is your mindset. 
This season take a good, hard look at all that you’re 
doing and then question everything. You could 
be stressing yourself out because of expectations 
and values that aren’t really yours. Examine what 
your core beliefs are and live those out, not some 
goofy-butt Hallmark Christmas movie ideals.
Let Go

Who says you need to do it all? Unless you’re Martha 
Stewart, you don’t have to. Choose 1 item to cut 
from your must-get-done-before-Christmas list 
and just say no. I’m not talking simply crossing it off 
your list. I’m saying cut it out and throw it away for 
good. Maybe you’ll decide not to do cards anymore 
or give up baking 6 different kinds of cookies. 
Whatever. The point is to stop doing 1 activity.
Plan Ahead

Obviously you’re not going to cut everything from 
your holiday season. Decide on what you’ll keep 
(remember, you’re being proactive by choosing 
what you will keep and what you won’t) then whip 
out your calendar and plan those things into your 
schedule. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Putting 
things off until the last minute causes undue anxiety.
Shop Online

Books make great gifts and are just a click away. So is 
just about everything you can imagine. You’ll avoid 
the crowds and save time driving to and from the 
store. Yeah, you might end up paying for shipping but 
in the long run if it saves you time, it’s totally worth it.
Say No

This one is the hardest of all because you want 
to have fun as much as the next guy, right? Or 
your heart is big and you want to help everyone 
who has a need. Or you just plain old don’t want 
others to think badly of you. Well, Bucko, in 
order to lessen your stress you just might need 
to let someone else stress out in your place by 
saying no. And if you do, guess what? You’ll find 
that your “yes’s” have a whole new meaning. 
Life is short. Live intentionally, whether it’s Christmas 
or not.

 There now, don’t you feel better? Take a breath, or 
two or three, drive ‘round town and enjoy everyone’s 
lights and decorations and remember this old saying: 
Jesus is the reason for the season! Go to a Christmas 
concert. Watch one of the Christmas movies on the 
Hallmark channel. Go out to lunch with somebody 
nice. Tell someone you love them. Hug a lot of people. 
Then hug a bunch more! And smile. A lot!

 “Christmas! It’s almost here! My favorite, favorite 
time of year!” 

 My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis

Blog: www.authordeanne.com

 “A Tablespoon of Love, A Tablespoon of Laughter” is 
available from me!

 Kindle readers, give yourself the gift of Star of 
Wonder – A Christmas Story

 It’s on Amazon.com on my book page!

 Follow me on Twitter, too! https://twitter.com/@
playwrightdd


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com