SIMPLIFY YOUR HOLIDAYS

I have mentioned recently about my newborn grandson. Two of my sons are now married. Three of our daughters are either in college or working until the college choice is made. The last son is ending high school. My mother passed away a year and a half ago. Holy cow! Life is completely different than it was two years ago.

So holidays, as we knew them, are a thing of the past. Our children are beginning families of their own. What now? How do I track all these people and things to do?

Do I run around to all of them? Do they all run between houses? What about the combined family issues? Whoa! Slow down. It's just too much to think about anymore. Now add the new members of the family, the extended members, performances, gift lists, church commitments etc.

So what if I could simplify my holidays?

What if you could?

What would that look like?

I heard about Marcia Ramsland The Organizing Pro. She says we can turn seasonal stress into organizational success! I'm game.

What is the book about?

Simplify Your Holidays: A Christmas Planner to Use Year after Year by Marcia Ramsland (Thomas Nelson)

Organization and simplification expert Marcia Ramsland tackles the holidays with an eight-week plan designed to make Christmas a season of celebration, not stress.

Most people begin to prepare for Christmas as soon as Thanksgiving is over, which can create great stress since Thanksgiving happens at a different time every year. However, Halloween is consistently eight weeks before Christmas, so beginning then ensures enough time to prepare and plan for both Christmas and Thanksgiving and to make this a season of joy for yourself and your family. This planner addresses all the details of the busy holiday season, including buying, wrapping, and sending presents, sending Christmas cards, home decorations, and cooking and baking. What sets this planner apart is a day-by-day plan that breaks every task into manageable pieces and a daily devotional journal that keeps the reader focused on the reason for all the activity, encouraging a spirit of praise, not panic.

So here's a link to get you started on turning your Holidays from Stressful into Restful.

Author Bio:
Marcia Ramsland is well known as "The Organizing Pro" for her practical skills and tips to manage everything from a full calendar to paper piles at home and work. She is an entertaining speaker and author of three popular books, Simplify Your Life (2003), Simplify Your Time (2006), and Simplify Your Space (2007). Her next book, Simply Your Holidays, will be released in the Fall 2008.

The "Organizing Pro's" tips appear in Better Homes and Garden, Woman's Day, and Real Simple magazines. Marcia is an international speaker appearing on radio and TV, and feels that anyone can get more organized with the right tips. Martha Stewart radio did a 20 minute live interview with Marcia Ramsland January 2008 on ways to "Simplify Your Space" and "5 Steps to Help a Child Clean their Room." Kerry Nolan was the host on Sirius radio "Living Today."

Marcia was one of four national Organizers featured in the Better Homes and Gardens special edition magazine, Secrets of Getting Organized.

She is an expert at the HousekeepingChannel.com and her corporate clients include Kodak, First National Bank, and the U.S. Navy.