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My Dad was born and raised on the island of Bermuda. He would celebrate Boxing Day as part of the holiday traditions. Boxing Day is held the day after Christmas and was celebrated by giving gifts to those who offered services to you through out the year. It was a way to say thank you. 

We may not celebrate it here in States but wouldn’t be great if we did? I think a lot of people have a hard time with the holidays especially the day after it is all over. What if you added Boxing Day to your holiday tradiations?

It would be a great opportunity to celebrate your gratitude after the holiday season. You could spend the day creating small gifts, notes, gratitude boxes or letters to hand out to all the people in your life who you are thankful for. You could let all the people who supported you throughout the year know how much they mean to you. This could be the day where it is not about the gifts bought at the store but a gift you give from your heart to allow everyone to know how much you care and love them.

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My friend Stephanie sent this to me and I had to share it with all of you as we arrive at Christmas Eve and to give you a fun perspective and a good laugh: 

HOLIDAY EATING TIPS

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit.  In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they’re serving rum balls.
2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It’s rare. You cannot find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It’s not as if you’re going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It’s a treat. Enjoy it.  Have one for me. Have two.  It’s later than you think. It’s Christmas!
3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That’s the whole point of gravy.  Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.
4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they’re made with skim milk or whole milk. If it’s skim, pass. Why bother? It’s like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.
5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people’s food for free. Lots of it. Hello?
6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year’s.  You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you’ll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.
7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don’t budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They’re like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you’re never going to see them again.
8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don’t like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three.   When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?
9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it’s loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.
10. One final tip: If you don’t feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven’t been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner. Remember this motto to live by:

“Life should NOT be a  journey to the grave with the  intention of arriving  safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but  rather to skid in   sideways, chocolate in one hand, body thoroughly  used up, totally worn out and screaming “WOO HOO what a ride!”

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Seriously, can you believe it? 2008 has just been flying by. We just finished Thanksgiving and now we have days until all our shopping has to be done for the holidays.

Don’t get me started on needing to decorate, attend all the holiday parties (work and personal) and then wraping it all up and put it all way until next year.

Here are a few of my tips to help you survive the season:

1. Send cards only to the people who send you cards – This saved me a lot of time. I would send out tons of cards and then I realized over half never sent me a card in YEARS. If they are not sending cards, they probably don’t really want to receive them as well. So cut your list down to the people who you really want to send to cards to including the people who always include you on their list.
2. Decorate simply – Some people get so into decorating which is great but remember you do have to take it all down after New Years. Decorate for your family and friends the way you want. Do try to impress, just do it for yourself. Justin and I keep it low key. We have one simple and small tree we put up and maybe a few cute items here and there. I like everything to fit in to one tupperware box.
3. Shop Online – I do all my holiday shopping online. You get great deals and they mail it to you! You do not even have to stand in line, deal with crowds and get there to find out it is not in stock. Shopping online has made the holidays so simple for me!
4. Pay for Gift Wrapping – Now I have to admit, I do this because my gift wrapping skills are horrible! BUT, it is also so easy and saves so much time. Some online stores do it for free, some for a small fee and almost every mall has a charity supported gift wrap location where you donate to a good cause and all your gifts are wrapped while you enjoy a great lunch somewhere.
5. Say NO! – You do not have to do every single holiday party, gift exchange, office gift exchange, cookie exchange and Grinch holiday gift exchange. I make sure I do not over commit myself by agreeing to go to the events closer to the dates. This way, I can really look at everything that is taking place and days before the event chose the one I want to attend. I do this because my best friend may throw a party last minute but someone I barely know at work has a party the same day. SURE the work person invited me first but I would never let my friend down. Make sure your choices are based on your relationships with people because that is most important.
6. Have FUN – This is the easy way to judge your holiday experience. If you are not having fun, it is time to make a change. You should be tired from laughing too hard and not from all the stress.

I hope these tips help you out and please do not be afraid to share some of your own in the comments below!

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The Urban Legend of Bloody Mary has always freaked me out. My sister Vicky and I went to see Candyman together years ago and that movie still freaks me out! I am always believed their was another world on the other side of the mirror. 

This year for Universal Halloween Horror Nights the icon they decided to use was Bloody Mary. I was so scared when I saw the commercial:

I have been to Halloween Horror Nights almost every year and this year I purchased a frequent fear pass so I could go on many different occasions. I will say I was very scared to go through the Bloody Mary haunted house but it ended up being a huge disappointment. The house that scared me the most was the Body Collectors. 

The house is themed that in the 1800′s in London where there were this group of tall, thin guys with white creepy masks who took people to experiment on. What is so scary about the house is they are silent. They do not say anything. They just jump out of the darkness as if to grab you and you take you away. I have been through the house about 3 times now and every time it freaks me out and I just can not wait until I get to the end.

One time through the house a girl with her boyfriend were in front of me. I got so scared that her boyfriend offered to protect us both. Of course by the end of the house, I found the 3 of us running and screaming for the exit. Great way to bond with strangers. 

I wonder why I am OK with being scared at HHN but not in real life? Could it be because I am in control when I am at HHN? Could it be because I surrounded by friends who support me through the event? Could it be that I know I am truly safe and I am able to see the positive ending to the events instead of the fearful one?

What lessons can I learn about fear from this?

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Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I love craving pumpkins, the fall weather, trick or treating and dressing up. It has been years since I went trick or treating or dressed up. This year was going to be different…

Justin and I decided to attend Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween where my friend Robert let me know EVERYONE dresses up AND you get to trick or treat! I was so excited so I planned it for my birthday week when it would be less crowded but still a lot of fun. 

My friend Robert told me I had to dress up because everyone in the park will be dressed up. I had no problem with dressing up and Justin and I decided to be Pirates. We got ready for the evening and headed out to the park. As we were parking I noticed no one was dressed up. I started to get nervous and was afraid we would be the only ones dressed up. It brought me right back to school and not wanting to be picked on by the boys in the playground. 

Justin grabbed my hand and reminded me that we are both dressed up and we shouldn’t care. We are here to have fun and that is all that matters. This made me feel better as we boarded the parking tram to the entrance.

All the way from the parking lot to the boat ride to the main entrance we were one of the few dressed up. It wasn’t until we got all the way in the park did I notice EVERYONE was dressed up. 

There was a group of friends together all dressed up except for one guy. His friends kept telling him to stop complaining because they told him to dress up and now he just has to get over sticking out. It was funny because I spent the beginning of my night feeling the same way about wearing a costume and now he was feeling the same way about NOT wearing a costume. 

I had a great time that night. I got to dress up, I got to go trick or treating and I got to see an amazing firework show and parade all based on Halloween. What would have happened if I let my insecurities get to me and I didn’t get out of the car…

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