Attention-Santa Has Left the Building. Thank You Baby Jesus!

It's official! The holiday hoopla is over. Each year that I survive another Christmas I feel the need to rejoice (and not to any catchy Christmas tune) but rather to the high heavens, exclaiming relief that I held up in the face of another yuletide season that is filled with as much stress as there is fruitcake.

The last-minute shopping, the planning, the parties, the meal preparations, the figuring out of what to do with three school age children who have no school while I still have to work; oh the jolliness of it all! If it weren't for my soy gingerbread lattes with whip and a whole hell of a lot of wine, I might not have pulled it off as seamlessly.

Today we tore down our home's homage to Kris Kringle and, if you read my previous blog, you will understand that this is no easy feat. Yep, I pulled off bulbs and dismantled little trees. I carefully tucked our santas and snowmen away for an eleven month slumber while my husband plucked the ginormous bulbs from the ceiling. I used a whole roll of Charmin to ensure my grandma's nativity set holds up in its storage. I swept up flock and sucked away pine needles and my home is once again my sanctuary.

As I sit here tonight admiring the minimalist decor and smelling the scent of a candle not resembling mulled spices, I am excited to look forward and to celebrate a new year. I have promised many things to myself for 2011, much of which are cliché. What would a new year be without resolving to lose ten pounds? But this time is different. I feel empowered more than ever to accomplish my goals.

The other night I created my 2011 vision board and I was so excited on how it turned out. The board represents what I see in my future, some of which are physical journeys, more of which are spiritual ideas on who I am and what I want to accomplish. One thought that really resonates with me is “appear as you are, be as you appear.” Since I just celebrated my 46^th birthday, I've decided that this is my present to myself because after 46 years I figure that I have earned to right to be who I am and not who I think I should be. Through visually experiencing my goals each day when I wake up, I am hopeful that they will come to fruition.

I just completed a five day fast. What a better way to kick off the new year than to give your body a break from all the crap ingested over the past four weeks. If I ate another Christmas cookie or piece of cake, I was surely to become one. To tell you the truth, I feel great and the extra pounds lost were a bonus and give me a shot at losing those ten pounds I intend to lose.

I dusted off my gratitude journal that was tucked away and decided it was high time to honor those little gifts we receive each day. When shit is hitting the fan (and trust me, I have had my share of it over the past couple years) it is important to remember the simple things that give you a lift. My first entry was the astonishing fact that my 4 year old actually wore what I pulled out for her and attended her preschool that day in perfect color coordination. Sometimes the little things gather more joy than a pretty present under the tree.

As we enter further into this new decade, I do remain hopeful for all of us that our economy can turn around, that we can create peace and perhaps bring our environment to a higher social consciousness (because anybody who doesn't believe in global warming is a knucklehead.) These are the gifts we need; a holiday season without end and without the commercialism.

May you all have an empowered new year filled with love, spirit and hope. And when the fat guy comes around again, take a deep breath and enjoy both his coming and going!