Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Survival Strategies for the Holidays
    Survival Strategies for the Holidays
    Survival Strategies for the Holidays
    Ebook105 pages1 hour

    Survival Strategies for the Holidays

    By Barbara Dan

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Recapture the joy of Christmas with family and friends. Working Moms and Dads are really strapped for quality time with family. Here are methods that will help you take better care of yourself and use your time for what really counts. Shopping tips, time management, fun gift ideas, 30 day menu plan and mouth watering recipes that make every day festive, without turning you into a kitchen slave.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBarbara Dan
    Release dateJul 22, 2012
    ISBN9781476240589
    Survival Strategies for the Holidays
    Author

    Barbara Dan

    First published in her teens, Barbara Dan admits to enjoying a variation of life experiences, including working as an actress, model, night club comedienne, comedy writer, puppeteer, theatrical producer in Hollywood, screenwriter, publicist, real estate saleswoman, hands-on-builder of houses, escrow officer, co-teacher of couples communication workshops with her late husband, family counselor John Dan. Other hats she has worn include publisher, editor, adjunct college professor, and—by far her biggest joy and challenge—being mother to four grown children and grandma to five very lively grandchildren and recently to three great-grandchildren. Hobbies: gardening, cooking, oil painting, quilting. She is a voracious reader on many subjects, loves to haunt old graveyards and historic sites. Many of her characters are inspired by family genaeology charts! But the most outrageous ones come straight from her overactive imagination. Her historical western, SILENT ANGEL, won the Colorado Romance Writers' award for Best Historical Novel (1992). She is a member of Western Writers of America and Women Writing the West. Many of her books are available in paperback as well as eBook. Even though she has degrees in Theatre Arts and Advanced Accounting, and an M.A. in Humanities (emphasis: literature) from Cal State University, she insists that real life is far better preparation for writing than academia! (A good sense of humor also helps.)

    Read more from Barbara Dan

    Related to Survival Strategies for the Holidays

    Related ebooks

    Cooking, Food & Wine For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Mindful Chatterbox

      Dec 11, 2019

      Mindful Chatterbox
      7 min read

    • Article

      Tips For A Stress-free VACATION With Relatives

      Nov 25, 2022

      Are you planning to spend time with your relatives this holiday? While times like these are wonderful memories for most of us, many people find these reunions stressful. Instead of hunkering down for yet another stressful Christmas, follow these tips

      4 min read

    • Article

      KEEP CALM, it’s Christmas

      Nov 9, 2023

      KEEP CALM, it’s Christmas
      4 min read

    • Article

      Ask The Experts

      Oct 25, 2022

      We love to hear from you. If you have a question for any of our experts, please email it to topsante.talkback@kelsey.co.uk. Herbalist Sebastian Pole is co-founder of Pukka Herbs (pukkaherbs.com) and founder of herbalreality.com. Q I often pick up col

      4 min read

    • Article

      Ask The Experts

      Oct 25, 2022

      We love to hear from you. If you have a question for any of our experts, please email it to topsante.talkback@kelsey.co.uk. Herbalist Sebastian Pole is co-founder of Pukka Herbs (pukkaherbs.com) and founder of herbalreality.com. Q I often pick up col

      4 min read

    • Article

      Viewpoint

      Jan 19, 2024

      I’ve been reading Psychologies magazine since its inception many years ago, and I still love it. It is so unique – there really is no other magazine like it, so thank you for producing it. During lockdown, my husband and I started a routine of making

      3 min read

    • Article

      THE love EXPERIMENT

      Mar 30, 2020

      THE love EXPERIMENT
      5 min read

    • Article

      Play To Your Own Strengths!

      Apr 5, 2018

      Play To Your Own Strengths!
      6 min read

    • Article

      Weathering The Blues With Dr Soph

      Nov 5, 2021

      For some, the festive period brings a jubilant mood. You might feel excitement about having a break from work, seeing loved ones, taking walks in the frosty air or snuggling up in front of a toasty fire, hot drink in hand, warming hands and hearts. F

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Alchemy of Anxiety

      Sep 2, 2020

      The Alchemy of Anxiety
      7 min read

    • Article

      Mindful Wellness

      Nov 24, 2023

      Mindful Wellness
      6 min read

    • Article

      Finding Grace At Christmas

      Nov 30, 2023

      Finding Grace At Christmas
      5 min read

    • Article

      DROP THE baggage

      Jul 5, 2022

      DROP THE baggage
      5 min read

    • Article

      Counter Culture

      Oct 9, 2019

      Counter Culture
      4 min read

    • Article

      I’m Worried I Act Out My Mum’s Distance With My Own Family

      Mar 4, 2022

      There’s nothing like parenting to open your eyes to how you were parented, and I’ve discovered that I have an avoidant attachment style. As a mother of two, I know I’m passing on the damaging legacy of being emotionally distant. I push my older child

      2 min read

    • Article

      An Inside Job

      Jul 1, 2020

      An Inside Job
      2 min read

    • Article

      The 12 Days of Self Care

      Dec 5, 2021

      The 12 Days of Self Care
      6 min read

    • Article

      6 Ways to Cope With Caregiver Anger

      Apr 28, 2020

      Asked how they feel, many family caregivers mention their stress and sadness—but not the resentment, impatience and anger that can build up. Caregivers tend to do what Caroline Conklin did: hide the feelings they think are negative. The fact is, most

      1 min read

    • Article

      How To Be Bad, Better

      Jan 7, 2022

      How To Be Bad, Better
      12 min read

    • Article

      MANAGING LONELINESS at Christmas

      Dec 7, 2020

      Ever felt like the party is pumping and you’re watching alone from outside with your nose pressed up against the window? We have all been there at some point. Life’s roller coaster of highs and lows does not stop at Christmastime – and can even be

      2 min read

    • Article

      Cheers! Here’s to Redefining Our Relationship To Alcohol (and Ourselves)

      Dec 19, 2020

      — Are you contemplating drinking your way through the holidays? If you are, you certainly aren’t alone. At-home alcohol consumption skyrocketed during the pandemic, and shows no signs of slowing down soon. If you’re feeling like this might be the sol

      5 min read

    • Article

      Anxious For The Holidays

      Dec 1, 2022

      Anxious For The Holidays
      2 min read

    • Article

      Four Ways To Ease Family Life

      Apr 8, 2021

      Four Ways To Ease Family Life
      7 min read

    • Article

      How To Be a Happier Person

      Sep 4, 2023

      Friendships are a vital ingredient for happiness and often help us feel better – but not always. Sometimes we can fall into the trap of hanging onto unhealthy relationships because they’re familiar. However, unbalanced alliances seldom work and often

      6 min read

    • Article

      Kesha: Care for Yourself Before Looking After Everyone Else

      Dec 25, 2017

      THE HOLIDAY SEASON is supposed to be the most festive and fun time of the year, but all those plans and expectations of joy can turn tougher and more stressful than they sound. This is especially true for those of us who struggle with mental illness.

      1 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Survival Strategies for the Holidays

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Survival Strategies for the Holidays - Barbara Dan

      Survival Strategies

      for the Holidays

      by

      Barbara Dan

      Copyright © 2012 by Barbara Dan

      –

      www.barbaradan@yahoo.com

      –

      Published 2012 by Barbara Dan

      on Smashwords

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission, except for brief quotations to books and critical reviews. This story is a work of fiction. Characters and events are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

      This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Warning and Disclaimer: This book is designed to help people create their own time- and energy-saving methods of dealing with holiday stress. It is sold with the understanding that the author is not engaged in rendering legal, medical, professional or dietary advice. The author makes no claim to being a professional dietician or an authority in the area of cooking. All recipes contained herein are shared from the author’s personal files solely for the purpose of comparison and comment. The reader is encouraged to consult any of the numerous cookbooks currently available to develop his or her own repertoire of culinary favorites. Moreover, while the author has realized substantial savings by purchasing in bulk, she makes no guarantees as to the exact savings any individual reader may realize as a result of reading this book.

      The purpose of this book is to educate and entertain. Neither the author nor publisher shall have any liability or responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused, or alleged to be caused, directly or indirectly, by the information contained in this book. If you do not wish to be bound by the above, you may return this book to the publisher for a full refund.

      Survival Strategies

      for the Holidays

      by

      Barbara Dan

      Preface

      Oh, no! I hear someone gasp. Is Christmas creeping up on us again? Before you panic, let me reassure you that Survival Strategies for the Holidays has plenty of practical, money-saving, fun tips to help you recapture the true meaning of Christmas without going broke or falling over in a state of exhaustion. Christmas is meant to be FUN, remember?

      Oh, but you’ve never met my family, you say. That’s true, but please don’t write off your chances just yet for having the best Christmas (or Hanukah) ever. My strategies are designed to help you form a cooperative team comprised of those closest to you—family, friends, a jolly neighbor or two—to help all of you form strategies that suit your common goals. This year don’t go it alone. Otherwise you may find yourself once again slaving and struggling, while everyone else sits back, expecting you to pull off a miracle all by yourself.

      I believe in miracles, but I’ve also learned that a lot of them occur because people come together and work for a common cause.

      Romans 12:1 reminds us not to be squeezed into conformity to the world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. And what better time of year than Christmas to get our priorities straight and rediscover the joys of sharing with family and friends.

      So forget the rat race. If the busyness of the season intimidates you, teamwork is just the cure you need! Try a brand new approach.

      To start you off in the right direction, select a few people you might like to work with—and play with—over the holidays. Invite their input and help. Believe me, when you share the work and good fellowship with a few adults and maybe some eager-beaver kids, it’ll be easy to make this your best Christmas ever!

      Stay tuned. Here’s how I got unstuck from past mistaken ideas.

      Chapter 1

      Caught in the Undertow of Activity?

      Some smart aleck put forth the adage that when you need something done, ask someone whose schedule of tasks already would choke a horse. The supposed wisdom behind this astonishingly insensitive theory is that this hyper-busy individual must know the secret of how to handle stress, work like a horse, and deliver on time.

      The assumption behind this kind of thinking is that anyone carrying such a load of responsibility must have agreed to it and gotten involved in all this busyness because they wanted to. And because they actually enjoy being under constant pressure.

      Oh, really! In my experience such overburdened people just haven’t learned to say No! Their lives are crammed with shoulds and oughts. Everyone wants a piece of their time. At first this tends to flatter, but as the list of demands piles up, resentment and anger begin to seethe beneath that perky but frenzied little smile. Rescuers and nurturers are particularly prone to getting in over their heads. (You know who you are! And welcome to the Club!)

      The solution is not to blow your cork finally, or throw up your hands and walk out. The problem is that in needing to be needed, you have allowed yourself to take on more and more responsibility for other people. Pretty soon members of the family, intimidated by this dynamo of talent you have become, just settle back and let you take on the world alone. After all, you do it so much better than they do—right?

      No wonder you’re exhausted. And it isn’t long before you begin to feel unappreciated. (Actually, your family probably resents you for taking over and shutting them out, as much as you chafe over the fact that they have slowly dropped out of helping!) It’s a vicious cycle, and by November 1st every year, you are really dreading Christmas. You feel trapped. It’s fun for everyone but you. You wish you could just book a cruise—alone—and escape everything!

      Only you can’t. The budget’s stretched, you never were a quitter, and so you grit your teeth and brace yourself for another marathon of jolly Christmas cheer.

      How many times have you asked yourself, Why ‘do’ Christmas, if it has become such an emotional, physical and fiscal drain? Certainly what you’ve experienced as a frazzled Mom or Dad has little to do with the peace on earth to men of good will" that the birth of Christ was intended to usher in. No wonder the love and joy of Christ seem buried beneath the tinsel and half-baked frenzy of shopping, endless long lines, office parties, and all the rest of the misery we associate with the tyranny of commercialized holiday ritual.

      How do we do it all—at least the important stuff—without having a coronary?

      First, we need to recognize our limitations and time constraints. Prioritize. Taking on more than you can comfortably handle is stressful, and stress is a real killer. Consider the medical statistics. Women who double as homemakers and bread-winners have finally gained near-equality for their male counterparts. Yes, by trying to do it all at the same time, women have increased their risk of heart attack and premature death. It is also not surprising that both sexes experience chronic depression, due to the added pressure of performing and living up to the expectations of co-workers, family members, and friends during the

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1