I’m Truly a Kid at Heart!

I’m truly a kid at heart!

I saw Santa last week with some good friends and I know I had a really big smile on my face. I was right back at that place of total excitement that Santa was coming to town. As a kid growing up in a very small town in Minnesota (population 500), it was a big occasion with lots of planning and hype about the event. And, of course, sitting on his lap and telling him what I wanted for Christmas was a super big deal.

So, this year I didn’t tell him what I wanted when I sat next to him on his sleigh. Instead, I told him “thank you” for creating so many happy smiling people, both children and adults. He was the ultimate Santa — red and white suit, white beard, twinkling eyes, nose like a cherry, and a big smile in the midst of those rosy cheeks.

I felt like I was a character in ’Twas the Night Before Christmas and I found myself laughing in spite of myself as I watched him being Santa.

He and Mrs. Claus have created the ultimate Christmas Winter Wonderland. The outside is beautiful with all of the lights and decorations and the sleigh that he pops in and out of. But what is different from any other decorated house in any other neighborhood — they open their door to thousands of visitors every year. The entire house is filled with Christmas music and some of the most beautiful displays I’ve ever seen — Santas, villages, snowmen, a holiday train, a carnival, a whole room of angels.

Edmundo, Mary Jo and Kathy start decorating in September to prepare their Christmas House. And they do it because they love to create magic and see the smiles and hear the laughter. Last year they had 44,700 visitors. How do they know? They handed out 44,700 candy canes.

Most of us aren’t going to go to that extent to bring the magic of the season into our homes and neighborhoods, but we can create the energy of joy by just being in the space of happiness and love.

Ready to see the Rombeiro’s Christmas House and get filled with magic? Their address is 34 Devonshire Drive, Novato, CA . They’re open every night through January 6^th, including 12/24, 12/25, 12/31 and 1/1/2016. And every single night Santa will turn on all of the lights at 6:00 pm, walk out to his sleigh and greet his visitors. Kathy waits at the front door, welcoming each and every one who walks through the door. Mary Jo (Mrs. Claus) waits in the kitchen to see the smiles and have short conversations with those who just want to say thank you.

Yep. This Santa and his family are remarkable. They share the joy of the season and you can’t help but accept their gift. I hope you and your family have found ways to experience the magic of the season!

Joy and Magic

And remember — each of your family members can have balance and harmony by spending time every day doing self-help acupressure. You will find it much easier to have everything on the list done, to be rested, and to see smiles on each and every face. Keep it simple. Do the Daily Clean Your House Flow and remember to Jumper Cable as often as you think of it.

Sending you lots of balancing energy!

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Creating Holiday Traditions for our Children

Holidays beckon for traditions. Can you even imagine a December without Christmas trees, without red and green decorations, without Christmas music, without sparkling lights? No matter the holiday, we surround ourselves with the chosen colors, music, and food that help us get into the mood, stay in the mood, and fully experience the events we create or attend.

As adults we follow our to-do list and the plan that allow us to be immersed in the traditions that make the holiday extra special for us and our families. So no wonder that our children expect to have the same, if not better, experience year after year. After all, it’s part of the plan!

It’s actually recognized that when we follow the expected we have less stress showing up. And then, when we are in the midst of full engagement, we are more likely to enjoy the experience.

Kids Need Traditions

Traditions actually have higher purposes, especially for children. No matter what you do as a family, it’s all about creating memories. Whether you read “The Night Before Christmas,” visit Santa, go caroling, attend a special musical event, attend church, or light the Chanukah menorah you’re helping your children create a firm foundation.

That foundation builds a sense of stability, unity and connection. Each member of the family can count on the traditions happening, expect everyone to be together, and can count on being able to participate. Traditions also build unity, bringing the family together. Everyone feels connected. Have you ever noticed that because of the traditions you’ve created around the holiday experience, your kids expect them to happen? And if you change it up, do you notice that they go into reaction and question why it’s different? They may even go into “you’re not thinking of me and what I want.” For the most part, what children want is to feel connected to the family, listened to and acknowledged.

Traditions Build Connections to the Past

They can serve as a bridge from the past to the present and from the older generation to the younger. Traditions can be as simple as the scheduled family outing to choose the Christmas tree or making a special ornament for the tree every year. Or it can be making Grandma’s extra special cookies or planning your annual Christmas party. What is important is that the holiday traditions work for your family.

You can see that one of our big traditions is decking the halls and decorating the Christmas tree! I have over 1000 ornaments, many of them from my mother, my great-aunt and my grandma. I have stories that go along with all of them, in addition to the stories about the hand-made ornaments and the many gifts received through the years. I love Christmas! And I love everything about it! I hope that you and your family have your traditions that make it an extra special time of the year!

Holiday Energy Tip

AND as a holiday gift — to help out any moments of time when a family member gets a bit anxious or unsure of “what is next” — consider following this energy tip. It will help bring breath and release tension.

Right hand — hold fingers at right base of ribcage
Left hand — hold fingers on right chest below clavicle
Switch to do the left side

And to just bring “I feel good” into your body remember to jumper cable! It helps all layers, all levels, and all emotions.

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Practicing to be Santa!

The act of giving is a big one for children to discover. It truly can become an art — but to get to that point we have to do a lot of practicing. It’s like practicing to be Santa!

Artful Giving

When you were a child do you remember ever having that moment when you were supposed to give someone else a gift that you really wanted to keep for yourself? That was a big one — to go through that experience and then to realize that once we got over the trauma and drama, we really could feel good about it. It was the memory of the “feeling good” that created the space for more of the same to occur. And from there, the pattern of artful giving was shaped.

Experiencing Joy in our Bodies

The journey to feeling good and experiencing joy is one that is super important. All parts of our bodies (physical, mental, and emotional) want to be happy and be in a place of energetic balance and harmony. A body that is in balance doesn’t have to work so hard to not have unhappiness or stress or anxiety. It just more easily moves to that place — without effort!

Once the pattern for “feeling good” is part of our make-up, the body will find ways to be there — including that place of “giving just because it feels good.” And, let’s face it — this is the time of year to feel really good about giving because it’s such a big part of the holiday season.

To help your children more easily discover that “I want to give” mode and be like Santa, try these energy tips:

Gently cup middle fingers to help let go of frustration. (Helps let go of frustration, including any that is about giving when “I don’t want to”).
Hold upper arms by folding arms across the chest. (Helps bring in breath which will let go of any anxiety. Anxiety can come from being uncomfortable with what is happening which will cause breath holding).
Hold right fingers at area of heart and hold left fingers at base of ribcage. (Helps connect feelings of happiness and love with breath).
Hold right fingers on left cheek and hold left fingers below left collarbone. (Helps with ability to fully express feelings, thoughts, words).

Doing the Daily Clean Your House Flow on a daily basis can go a long way to helping your children be happy and healthy. That will create a firm foundation. The extra energy tips create even more “letting go and finding balance.”

Enjoy the season! And have fun giving and being Santa!

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My Gift of Energy Tips for You!

My gift of energy tips for you!

Prepping for the Holidays

Prepping for the holidays is all about finding the time to do all you want to do! Maybe there’s some “I should do this” in the mix, but let’s just see how we can make it more manageable.

Your list can be pretty extensive: making the shopping list (we’re talking the gifts you’ve decided on), the shopping itself (usually requires multiple trips out), decorating, the clean-up that follows, wrapping gifts, baking, planning your own entertaining (definitely lots of steps involved including the food preparation on the day of your event), making time for all of the events you want to attend (don’t forget to make your reservations and get your tickets), getting those wrapped gifts delivered (either personal delivery or setting up shipment). Okay — I bet there are more than a few things that I’ve forgotten.

Are You Tired Yet?

You don’t have to be. In fact you can be totally with it and ready for the next thing on the list. And you can feel that you have it handled, with no built-up stress and anxiety about anything you have planned and still need to do.

The key is to have clarity and focus, energy to do what you want to do, and feeling rested for next “thing to do.” Here are easy-to-do energy tips to help you feel great about your holiday and all of your plans.

Holiday Energy Tips

Start each day with the Daily Clean Your House Flow
Consider doing the Daily Flow in the middle of the day to give you an extra boost.
When you feel “out of sync” or “I’ve lost my juice” do this to help you get centered and grounded and to feel revitalized:
With one hand: cup your sternum under your collarbone
With the other hand: hold fingers on your tummy
If you feel “out of breath” or feel “anxious about the crazy list I’ve created” do this to create breath and feel empowered:
Hold your upper arms by folding arms across your chest
Or gently cup your thumbs (let’s go of worry)
If you feel unsure and unclear of the plan and have lost track:
With one hand: cup your forehead
With the other hand: cup the base of your skull
To get a really good night’s sleep (and in the middle of the day, to feel like you actually took a nap)!:
Place fingers on right and left base of skull
Jumper Cable! Gently cup each thumb and finger for several good breaths.

Holiday Momentum

Okay! I hope you feel more prepared for your holiday season and for all that you want to create!

Mine is going forward with full steam ahead momentum! I love this time of year and I love being fully engaged with each and every part of my list. In fact, the list is “just there” and the time somehow appears for the items to be taken care of. As you can see, decorating my tree is an important item on my list. And the rest of the house reflects my love of “decking my halls!”

I wish each and every one of you a magnificent holiday season!

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