This is the time of year when we express our gratitude for all the gifts we’ve received and the joy we’ve experienced this year. I’m grateful for your support and participation in this grand experiment of the style group for women over 50.
Our membership slowed down last year while my attention turned to selling my California home and moving to our new home in New Mexico. However, it’s picking up again! In the last month we’ve grown 250%, up 56 members, so that’s good! With 7,895 active members (13,164 total members) we are 3% more active than last month. Keep it up ladies!
I want to reiterate that it is really important for women of all shapes and sizes to post their OOTDs (Outfit Of The Day). There are women from all over the world in this group, and it’s so inspiring and educational to see how we each dress every day. So, please don’t be shy about posting. You’ll see that we’re a safe, supportive group and we appreciate how difficult it is to post an outfit for the first time. I truly believe that it is a confidence boosting activity. It’s like any muscle, you have to exercise it. When you stand in front of a camera and put yourself out there for the world of women to see, you are stepping up and standing out. Once you do it regularly, you’ll find your confidence begin to soar!
This holiday season let’s make a pledge to stay present and positive, focusing on our friends, family, and strangers who would benefit from a smile, hug, or helping hand.
And when the holidays bring forward memories of the past and the regrets surface, try to resist pushing the regrets back down with a cookie (right?). The “what if” questions and regrets are natural, but they’re just not productive. Stay present because as you well know, we cannot change the past. We can, however, share our inner light with others, and bring more love into the world every day.
Here are some of the things that help me enjoy the holiday season:
Tip #1
When I get overwhelmed by preparing holiday dinners, I remind myself it’s not about the food, it’s about the feelings of positive energy and love I create in my home. Sometimes we get so focused on cooking and baking we forget that a) simple, healthy food is best, b) we can make dishes ahead of time so we can get out of the kitchen and socialize more, and c) I make my family’s favorites but include one or two new dishes to make it fun (for me)!
Tip #2
Avoid the temptation to compare yourself with others, especially on social media. Each time you catch yourself making a social comparison or that others are judging you, you can choose to focus elsewhere. Remember, most people post on social media only the best of the best times. That’s not real life…
Tip #3
Keep the holiday conversations positive and supportive, and don’t go down the path of discussing politics. This is a time of year to find your common interests. Political discussions never end well… Have some positive, relatable conversations ready in your mind so you can bring them up. (Ladies, please comment below and suggest some positive conversational topics that you enjoy..we need them!)
Tip #4
Enjoy yourself, don’t worry about getting off track with your good diet habits, just get back on track after the party is over. This is a time to celebrate your life and the joy of friends and family. Taking a long walk after dinner with guests is fun and a good way to get over that over-full feeling! The young ones will love it!
We each have so much to be grateful for. Bless your life and share your joy.
Stay away from family! lol Just kidding. Since 2012 when I remarried my children have gone on to create new Thanksgiving memories. I allowed them to do this without feeling guilty. I have four children & three of them get together in a very rural part of Texas & deer hunt. The fourth one is a manager at a restaurant & he is always on duty during the holidays. So, instead of feeling down & lonely (could join the deer hunt but not my thing) my husband & I eat Thanksgiving on the road as we travel to the festive town of Fredricksburg in the Texas Hill Country, rent a cabin, take our Trike Motorcycle & have a stress free long weekend before the Christmas rush hits us. It works for us & everyone is happy & anxious to see each other during the Christmas holidays.
Books, cooking, work, kids, weather, shopping there is always something positive to say about these. And don’t leave out politics there’s always something positive to say about politics. I did have to laugh at the, I believe was a late night comedian, who said, “ How could Nancy Pelosi do this to us around holiday dinners!”
Great info Linda…as you stated, keep it simple with small indulgencies as a side note…. ( an unplanned visit to a relative or friend )
Sing…in unexpected places at unexpected times….(breaks the ice if needed and sets the mood to “relax!”
Eat less and move more!! With a grateful heart.