I spent the day yesterday hanging around a hospital, while my beloved Daddy had a (long overdue) knee surgery. It had been a family juggling act for me to be able get down to the hospital before they took Dad back.( Thankfully, I made it and Dad did great!) But while I was trying to focus on my laptop and the final preparations for our “Holiday Ready” GNO tonight, the funeral of President Bush was airing live on all the waiting room TVs. The focus of almost everyone in the room was up on those screens. I wanted to listen to the eulogies of the legacy of such a wonderful man, but I needed to prioritize my work. Then I noticed an elderly man, a couple of chairs down from me, he must have been more than 80, who was waiting for his wife to come out of surgery. He was so positive and kind, but I could sense his anxiety as he kept looking at his watch and tapping his knee. I wanted to talk with him and try to comfort him and, I needed to get things done.
The irony of it all wasn’t lost on me.
The seasons. The cycles of life. The ever-constant tug of balancing priorities. Noticing the things that feel meaningful and the ones that feel on fire. The rush of the holidays, the parties, the gifts, the planning, and all the preparations. This time of year can be full of joy and full of pressure.
Either way, it feels really FULL.
On the heels of my full day, I texted a friend last night asking, “What does ‘Holiday Ready’ mean to you?” I expected a response about being ready for connection, laughter and memory making. . . but she replied quickly with this list:
- WoodWick candles, that smell like pine
- wrapping paper
- spray tan
It caught me completely off guard.
I laughed out loud at the contrast between what I was expecting her to say, and what is actually on her mind. Almost instantly, it reminded me in such a beautiful way, that the “Holiday Readiness” struggle is SO real.
It’s both/and.
It’s the connection, and togetherness, and all the things, that make this the most wonderful time of the year . . . AND it’s the real, tangible tasks on our to-do lists that need to happen, to get us to that point. It’s the very reason we do the “Holiday Ready” GNO in the first place; to take some of the obvious tangible tasks that are on your plate, and make them less stressful and more fun, as you encounter them this holiday season.
Being Holiday Ready starts with you, taking care of you.
While we may not be offering on-site spray tans, we’ll be teaching things like how to pose most naturally in a photo (like Vanessa is teaching Krsti, for her member headshot above), which takes the edge off those inevitably awkward family photos. We’re sharing tips on gift selection, gift wrapping, holiday table setting, holiday hair and makeup, healthy eating, AND the practice of self care so you can cultivate connecting conversations and meaningful experiences with the ones you love. So while at first blush, it might appear that our “Holiday Ready GNO” is focused on the less meaningful parts of the holiday season, in reality, it’s much more holistic than that.
Holiday Ready is more than meets the eye.
Whether you’re able to attend GNO with us tonight or not, remember as you’re getting ready for the holidays, that just because some tasks don’t feel as meaningful as others, it doesn’t mean they’re not important. So release any judgment you may have on yourself about being focused on the “wrong” things. Some things simply have to be done and in your heart, you know which ones they are. You’re doing the best you can.
And that is always enough.
Being Holiday Ready is about you feeling ready to enjoy the things that matter most in this season. . .
Which of course, aren’t “things” at all.
to more love,
Crystal
p.s. We expanded our available tickets to be sure to include everyone we possibly could for this GNO, and we’re SO close to being completely sold out again. So if you’re planning to attend, but haven’t registered yet, now is your moment to get your ticket. We’ll be sold out before we get started tonight.
