Have you noticed all the Christmas decorations up in the shopping malls?  They’ve been up since Halloween.  It seems like it’s getting earlier and earlier every year.  This really is a wonderful time of year, but it also stresses me out.  I see those decorations and I am reminded of all the things I haven’t done yet, and all the things I think I “should” do but will probably not do.  I start making “the lists”in my head and I look at the calendar and wonder how it’s all going to get done.

But then I take a deep breath and remember the newfound joy that I have discovered in simplicity!  I don’t need to burden myself with “should”, I can choose what I want to do, and enjoy doing it.  I might bake some cookies, or I might buy some instead.  There is no holiday sheriff who will come knocking on my door if the lights don’t get up this year!  I can choose to wander the mall amidst the happy shoppers, or find serenity at home in the many online stores.  One day at a time; it’s still November, and I haven’t figured out Thanksgiving yet!

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Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)