On the Coast – Families Issue 97 I December/January 2019 | Page 14
Making the most of the
silly season
By Kylie Bailey
W
ith the silly season upon us
and the calendars becoming
fuller than usual, how do we
manage to keep it all together and
find time to celebrate. It is possible!
This time of year brings so much joy for
the kids as they are counting down their
advent calendars and asking how many
sleeps to go, the elf in most households
are busy creating crazy tricks for the
kids to enjoy each morning. Between
going to Christmas carols, Christmas
lights, buying and wrapping presents,
Christmas parties, kid’s graduations and
then finding time to enjoy some time
out for you, I’m pretty sure we are all
exhausted come Boxing Day.
Personally, I love Christmas and take
great pride in telling everyone that I’m
a proud Christmas lover. Life is moving
faster than ever and each year I notice
more and more people are dreading
Christmas instead of seeing the joy in
this time. The dread of overwhelm is
very real for some and the expectations
of meeting everyone’s needs. After many
years of running workshops including
Christmas workshops, I have found the
secret to having a fabulous Christmas is
being extra organised.
My top 10 tips are –
1 Plan your Christmas and set your
timelines. Schedule your to do list,
add your tasks week by week into
your Sunday download. (Sunday
night download available via request)
2 Set a budget so you don’t overspend
and avoid the January ‘blown your
budget’ hangover
3 It doesn’t have to cost a fortune to
make it special
4 Find a way to give back…Giving is
always better than receiving!
5 Set your menu for the day and have
fun practising before hand
6 Set a colour scheme for your festive
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KI DZ O N T H E C OA ST
season and get creative
7 Do something for you – massage,
facial, golf day – You deserve it!
8 Create a new family tradition
9 Clean out your house and kids’ toys
and give them away
10 Find the kid in ‘you’, Christmas is so
much better with kids!
So how do you want your Christmas
and holiday season to look this year? Have
you considered who you would like to
celebrate with, how you would like to
celebrate and what summer holiday
memories do you want to create this year?
This can also be the hardest time for
some families as they may be grieving,
missing loved ones, having a hard time
financially and life in general. The best
gift we can give at this time of year is to
pay it forward and give back to those in
need and do this as a family, so we set the
value of kindness to continue making our
world a better place. As the majority of
people today are busy with the juggle of
life, it can be hard to really understand
what families are going through as most
families due to fear of being someone’s
gossip, to be judged or just private people,
don’t really share what’s really
happening in their worlds. So, at this
time of year, more than ever…Kindness
should be at the essence of how we treat
each other and that is the true magic of
Christmas. The world can sometimes lack
empathy and understanding of different
people’s circumstances in life.
It’s a wonderful tradition to ‘Inspire
change’!
What could you do as a family as a new
tradition as a random act of kindness?
Charity work/volunteer
Donate all your old toys to woman’s
refuge/local charities
Create a shoebox for less fortunate
children in other countries
Create a handbag for ‘Share the
dignity’
Buy a coffee for the person behind
you in line
Look after the elderly
Send a package to Armed forced
overseas
Check in with your neighbours and
see if they need anything
The list goes on….
And please do not forget about ‘you’!
There is always time for ‘Self-love’.
There is 6 weeks of summer holidays
ahead, so take a mini break if you so
wish. There is no need for Mothers Guilt
or Fathers Guilt. It’s great to getaway to
reconnect after another busy year with
your husband/partner, have fun with
your friends and organise a girls’/guy’s
trip or perhaps it’s a solo night away to
soak in a bath, put your feet up or watch
TV until your content…Whatever suits
you best. And if this isn’t possible – book
a date night, book a night out with your
friends, read a book and find time to do
this for you.
Another year awaits you, so be the
best version of you and stay true to you.
2019 has so many more exciting times
ahead and only moments away…
I know I’m excited for 2019 with many
more workshops, seminars & retreats to
‘INSPIRE CHANGE’
Merry Christmas – Wishing you lots
of Love, Laughter and Happiness over
the festive season.
Kylie x
Kylie Bailey – Founder of Inspire Change
Coaching. Specialising in Life, Career and Youth
Coaching, Kylie runs many workshops on the
Coast including one for Mums to assist with
mindfulness, and to help with the overwhelm.
As well as running incursions for School
programs, and Life coaching workshops for
all walks of life in Goals, Habits, Mindfulness,
Happiness, Organisation, Corporates and Career
Coaching. To book a workshop or 1 on 1 session,
please visit www.inspirechangecoaching.com.au
or call 0432 800 903.