If December means a calendar fool of obligations then this article is for you. Making it through the holiday season in one semi sane piece isn’t easy, but with these holiday tips you’ll be sashaying from party to party effortlessly and stress free.
Pack Light: While we all know the advantages of having a nice big purse to lug around everything you may ever need at any given time, during the holiday festivities its just not practical. Before the holiday party season gets underway, you should either clean out your over packed purse or buy a cute, compact wallet size clutch that you can carry only the essentials in. What are the essentials you ask? Limit the contents of your purse to some lipstick or gloss, keys, cell phone, and a few other fashion emergency items like clear nail polish and a needle and thread.
Think Ahead: The average adult spends most of the day on the go. Between work, errands, family, and personal needs, there is barely enough time to breath let alone figure out what to wear. The key to lowering the stress often brought on by busy holiday schedules is to plan well in advance. Planning doesnt necessarily mean that you have to try the outfit on weeks in advance, but it does mean you should start piecing together outfits and make lists in your head so you have a point of reference when you hit the stores.
Dress for the Occasion: Are you going to a party inside or outside? Is it a short get together or an all day affair? By asking yourself these questions you should be able to rule out what not to wear to your holiday get together. If youre going to be standing around for several hours, you may want to live the super high ultra skinny heels at home and look for something a little more practical and comfortable. If youre going to be at a party held out doors or in less than cozy conditions, make sure you dress warm and leave your strapless cocktail dress at home on the hanger.
Bring a Gift: If youre going to a gathering at someones house and you are basically enjoying a night of entertainment, food, and beverages all on the hosts bank account, its a good idea to bring a small token of thanks. It doesnt need to be elaborate or expensive. A small bottle of wine or a Christmas decoration is just fine.
Mingle: Holiday parties are a great time to chat with people you don’t normally get a chance to see. When you get to the party, say hello to the host/s, chat with them a bit, and then move on. Not only do you need to make your way around the room, but the individual/s responsible for the party have a million things to do, including speaking to guests. Save the deep discussions for later on in the party when the party has calmed down a bit and your host has time to have a conversation.
Life seems to compress as the holiday’s get closer, and this shows us in no uncertain terms how “intense” our lives have become. Holidays put normal life into hyper-speed, but really our lives in general are now in hyper-speed anyway, which can make the holiday’s seem almost unmanageable. However, there is hope, if we can understand the problem.
Research indicating that change is stressful, even good change, explains why the holidays are so stressful, as we are taken out of normal routines and challenged to “perform” in new and abnormal ways during holidays. Furthermore, modern life in general is changing at a mind-numbing pace. So, how do we adapt to change more healthfully? T’ai Chi / Qigong (Chi Kung) tips for loosening your grip on the holidays, and on life in general, include “remembering to breathe.”
So, right now, place the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth, and then think of relaxing your torso open from the bottom abdominal area to allow the lower lungs to fill with air, observing as they fill up through the top as the upper chest inflates. Good. Now, on the sighing exhale observe your body “relaxing” the breath out from the top of your lungs all the way down to the bottom as your abdominal muscles relax back in . . . fully expending the air from the bottom of the lungs. Repeat this allowing the lungs to fill from the bottom all the way up to the top, and then relaxing the air out of the body from the top of the chest down to the upper pelvic muscles.
Although at first it seem as though the torso muscles work to expand the torso open for air, and then forcing the air out, little by little as you relax open to the breath, every atom of your being relaxes open to be breathed effortlessly. Every muscle in your head, face, shoulders, and torso . . . begins to let go, as though the breath were breathing you, and all you need to do is let go a little more with each sighing exhale.
The tip of the tongue placed on the roof of the mouth allows the breath in more gradually, rather than in one big open throated gush. Studies show this slow, gradual, inhale and exhale oxygenates the body much more effectively. As you breathe in the full breaths with the tip of the tongue on the roof of the mouth, your entire being relaxes open to the lightness of air, even the bones, organs, brain and heart. Then as you exhale every atom of your being can “let go” of everything it holds onto to release the loads and burdens of the mind, heart, and body to be exhaled into a healing lightness. You actually expand open with this lightness as an airy feeling of “effortlessness” permeates every tissue and field within and around your body.
This openness feels almost like the wind can blow right through you. Close your eyes so that you can feel internally the deep letting go as the bones themselves begin to release their grip on issues and tensions they may have unconsciously gripped. You will always find the more you let go, the more you can let go. As you approach the holidays or life beyond the holidays, allow your mind to release its expectations and obsessions as they come up. Let the world to flow to you and through you, rather than “reaching out” for outcome, and “holding on” to expectations. Often better opportunities are coming at us if we can let go of our grip on the past or illusions of the future.
By being “open” we may dream a much greater reality as it occurs, for the holidays and for our lives. By using holiday stress as a catalyst to breathe life and healing light into our clenching bodies, we can carry the promise of the holidays into our greater lives, breathing open to the goodness that waits to fill every aspect of our year and our lives.
You can experience a “Daily Dose of Bliss” by visiting www.worldtaichiday.org and clicking on Free Online Lessons then Sitting Qigong.
Self-catering holidays are more popular than they have ever been in the UK at least this is the case, the biggest market utilising such a holiday are parents and their accompanying offspring – so families essentially. Choosing self-catering options over traditional all inclusive options helps to reduce the overall cost of a holiday and gives the holiday maker complete control and flexibility with meal times and indeed meal choices – thus self-catering holidays are an advantageous solution if you are looking to budget for your next holiday, regardless of whether it is a family affair, a couple or a lone holiday – you can still save a packet!
Focusing on the self-catering accommodation means that you could well eat at any number of different restaurants, take away and cafes – alternatively you could prepare and cook food in the kitchen of your self-catering accommodation. This is what I meant by flexibility, consider that if you have any special dietary requirements such as high fibre or gluten free you can rest assured and consume your regular foods and drinks without having to make any special requests or worry if they even cater for you in the first place.
It’s likely that most places will have an alternative menu item for certain dietary needs and certainly vegetarian alternatives to choose from. The cost saving of not eating out every night is enormous – in some instances you might save the same amount as your daily accommodation rate and have just as good meal. Consider also that inclusive will generally mean you are confined to eating in the same set place day in day out, no variety and if you don’t like the food well you will end up spending more in the long term anyway.
Personally I hate doing the washing up after eating so if I go self-catering I ensure there is a dishwasher to pop dirty dishes in, little things like this just make the whole self-catering holiday experience an enjoyable break from the normal. Did you know that there are self-catering properties out there which now come with a chef or other service staff to assist you when on holiday? Amazingly you could have your meals prepared in the comfort of your own self-catering holiday home. Though I don’t imagine there will be too much cost savings here from staying in inclusive accommodation – flexibility is still provided though.
The self-catering holiday market has had an explosion in growth in recent years throughout the world. Self-catering provides an unrivalled level of independence, control and flexibility over all aspects of your holiday including location, budget, activities, timing and the things you eat and drink. If it’s not something you have considered before – I would certainly recommend trying it out, after all what have you to lose?
If you are looking for holiday apartments, Barcelona has a lot to offer. A city of breathtaking natural beauty and diverse culture, Spains most famous city gives visitors the chance to escape lifes little monotonies for fun in the sun and festive celebration. Holiday apartments in Barcelona allow you to enjoy the comforts of home and hidden luxuries that you just dont have the time or money for during a weekly work week.
Before signing up for holiday apartments in Barcelona, visitors want to make sure that what they are getting will aide in the ultimate weekend or weeklong getaway. The best way to know for sure that youre getting your moneys worth is to start by considering “the three Ps” (proximity, price, and place).
Proximity is one very important asset of luxury holiday apartments Barcelona visitors require. Each year, the city offers a wealth of festivities ranging from specialty film festivals to concerts and art exhibitions. Many come to the city for these events alone, while others would prefer to spend all day and all night on the crystal clear beaches or stay in beach apartments in Barcelona. Whatever your preference, it is important that your final choices for holiday apartments in Barcelona put you close to the action for added time savings and convenient access.
Price is another consideration with luxury holiday apartments Barcelona renters find of interest. Family vacations can be more expensive as costs are not often shared by every member of the group. However, family groups or friend gatherings can benefit from sharing costs, enabling visitors to get the very best in luxury from their stay. Before signing up, it is important to know how many in your group will be sharing the costs, and what amenities, such as pools, tennis courts, and health club access are vital to the trip.
Place is the final quality that renters look for when attaining an apartment for their annual holiday or mini-getaway. How well-maintained a facility is goes a long way in happiness and overall comfort. Even the sparsest of add-ons can be overcome when properties are well taken care of and residents receive prompt and skilled customer service. For holiday apartments Barcelona, visitors consider these “three Ps” make-or-break.
Location wise, the beautiful beach of Kallithea is about 11 km far from south to the Old town of Rhodes and approximately 7 km away from the eastern part of the city of Rhodes and the amazing village of Koskinou. Rhodes holidays 2010 look forward for various tourists to come and enjoy the splendor of this beautiful beach. In order to enjoy best Rhodes holidays ideas, this place is no doubt the best.
The exotic vegetation as well as a range of beautiful palm trees along with a pebbled coast will collectively make your Rhodes holidays excellent. The scenic beauty of the landscape and facilities like public transportation, sun beds, umbrellas and food will amuse you during your holidays. Apart from this, you can enjoy famous Scuba Diving activity of the area during your next Rhodes holidays.
Being quite near to the Rhodes town with the charm of a beautiful sea, the beach provides numerous opportunities like delicious cuisines, accommodations, entertainment and shopping, which can be enjoyed both in the surrounding areas as well as in the main town of Rhodes. The rocky cove with its amazing sea also fascinates seabed, which is quite ideal for underwater activities.
You can find many of the facilities here like the sun beds, umbrellas, cabanas and shower. On your entrance to the beach, you can also locate a card-operated phone with a cantina, where you can enjoy having snacks and refreshments. Moreover, the neighboring Koskinou Village is the best site to wander around, which is about 7 kilometers in the west to this beach.
How to Access Kallithea Beach?
In case of emergency you can avail services of the town of Rhodes which is about 7 kilometers towards the West from Koskinou. Approaching this beach is quite easy from the town of Rhodes, where you can find public buses with frequent services during your Rhodes holidays 2010. You can also hire cabs, private or rented cars and motorbikes to enjoy all pleasures of your holidays.
Kallithea beach is such a place, where most of the locals often gather on daily basis. The attraction is because of its small distance from Rhodes town, the alluring Italian-Baths, the obvious mezedes delights as well as the little bays and coves along with their monumental rocks and crystal green waters. This resort attracts a variety of local visitors especially after the peak season for swimming activities.
Tourists usually mix up Kallithea beach with another mini-beach, located below the baths; youre supposed not to do so. This place gathers a variety of visitors from Rhodes town, who wish to get benefited from the special bathing facilities here. This area also offers one of the tasty foods and the sign boards guides towards various small-scale hotels of the area, where you can fulfill your eating desires.
Apart from this, there are also a range of coves, bays and stone pools, which are surrounded by the pine trees. You are also warned not to dive into the nearby sea until and unless you are very much sure about your swimming capabilities as the sea is quite deep.