Tis the Season to be stressed out, fa la la la la la la laa. But I am here to remind you that it doesn’t have to be. Sometimes we become so overwhelmed with big picture stresses like Christmas parties, family vacations, bills, work schedules, money, buying presents, cooking, etc (and the list goes on and on and on…). This Holiday season try to remind yourself that just because you are facing a problem doesn’t mean you have to be one for the people around you. Try to maintain a healthy physical and mental state of mind this Holiday season. Here are a few things I recommend:

Cozy up with some green tea and lose yourself in a good book

Go for a run! Release those endorphins and you will immediately feel better after you work out your daily stresses

Drink a cup of warm vanilla milk, it soothes the soul

Enjoy your surroundings and mother nature. We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful world; breathe in the fresh air and be thankful

Sing. Belt your favorite song loudly, badly, off key, in the car, wherever-however

Slow down. Take a moment to look around you and find beauty in your surroundings. You will see that the little things are enough to make you smile

Bake some holiday cookies

Be kind and polite and you’ll find that you just might receive it in return

Take the dog for a walk. Nothing will entertain you more than watching your dog try to mark its territory on every single fire hydrant

Be present. Turn off your cell phone and computer for awhile

Take a power nap with your head at the other end of the bed

Indulge in your guilty pleasures

Choose happiness, gratitude and a positive behavior

Play hooky J (you deserve it every once and awhile)

Take a warm shower before bed to help calm your nerves so you are able to get a good nights’ sleep

Volunteer at a local organization, good for the heart, mind, body and soul

Practice Yoga and breathe deep

Listen to some good music… Pandora Christmas Station will surely get you back in the Christmas spirit

More importantly, remind yourself what the Holiday season is really about. Hopefully once you have given yourself time away from a stressful situation you can look back and realize it may not have been as stressful as you first thought it was. So, when you feel yourself slipping into a bad mood, try and think positive and remind yourself… it’s all good

With the Holiday season just right around the corner, your busy schedules probably just got slammed with a number of dinner parties to attend. Attending dinner parties are fun but hosting dinner parties can be fun too! Whether you are having a small get together or many people over for a green celebration, planning does not have to be stressful and hopefully this article will ease your list of things to do.

So you’ve decided you’re going to have a dinner party. Next step is figuring out how you’re going to send your invitations. To go green and ease the carbon footprint on getting your attendees attention to save the date, may we suggest using social media? What a quick and easy way to contact your network of friends. Remember, just because its online doesn’t mean you can’t get creative. Send your invites a jazzed up email, they will be excited to open it making them even more excited to attend, we like to use Evite.com.

Another idea is to suggest a prize for those who arrive by alternative forms of transportation other than by car, but whatever the prize is, make it green and make it good. When you decorate for your party create displays of fresh flowers and soy candles and get creative with the seasons offerings. Pinecones, lemons, leaves, and oranges are all things found in or around your house that can add to the fall season and add to the mood of a comfortable environment.

Don’t forget to invest in some ‘green wine’; no, the color of the wine is not green but you can compliment any dish by supporting an ecologically sensitive winery.  Or, you can have green drinks by supporting a local micro brewery, as more and more breweries are using organic ingredients. When shopping for your dinner party, don’t forget about the after dinner coffee which you can go green by supporting fair trade. If there are leftovers, send everyone home with whatever is left, or compost your scraps for your garden. When you’re cleaning up, make sure to skip the prewash, however if you don’t have a dishwasher, use some eco friendly soap to hand wash your dishes like Seven Generations or Shaklee. You should always seek out green household cleaning products because they are good for your health and good for the environment too.

As you can see these are quick and easy steps to use when you’re plan for your green celebration. We aren’t asking you to make drastic changes in the way you plan but as you can see by changing a little, you can and will reduce your holiday dinner party carbon footprint. All of these things are easy on your wallet; health and the environment too. Have fun and stay green this holiday season!