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Gearing up for the holiday
Emily Plihal
for Smoky River Express
Today is December 2 and before you know it people will be gathered together celebrating Christmas in a warm and welcoming environment.
The Christmas season, which I generally specify as between Dec. 1 and New Years, is the busiest time of the year for a lot of us. The true question is how do we prepare for the holiday festivities while still trying to maintain our jobs, lives and sanity?
In our region the Christmas season brings two Santa Days (one in McLennan, one in Falher), Moonlight Madness, various school Christmas concerts, Christmas parties, Festival of Trees, many hockey tournaments and games, and various other events. While supporting all of these events, how do we ensure all our shopping and preparations are complete?
I likely am not the best person to talk about preparing for the big holiday, I’m a Christmas Eve shopper (last year I only shopped in January because I did not spend the holidays with my family) and I only help my mom or sisters cook, but I’ve been observing my friends and family and have taken note of their organizational skills.
Shopping online can be a lifesaver this time of year. It is very easy to find whatever you are looking for at the tip of your fingers. Whether you hate shopping (like me), or you just have no time to go to the stores, this may be an alternative for you. PayPal offers safe payment methods so you do not have to worry about using your credit card online.
Essentially every product you need, you can find online at the click of a mouse and a few keys tapped.
In the Smoky River Region, we are actually quite fortunate to have a variety of shopping experiences located within our local towns and villages.
With three grocery stores for turkey and all the trimmings, you do not need to leave the area to feed your family to the brim.
We have various stores to purchase giftware, toys, and clothing to put under the tree on Christmas morning.
Despite the talk of retail opportunities, Christmas has a way to make our community feel more warm and accepting.
This time of year I like to boast the Smoky River Family and Community Support Services for its staff’s determination to ensure everyone’s Christmas is happy.
Penny, Jean and Isabelle are continuously working to collect items for the food bank. At Christmastime there is generally a higher demand from people within our community for help from the food bank.
The ladies collect non-perishable items, toys and gifts for teenaged children. Collection centres are located throughout the Smoky River Region at schools and numerous stores in each community.
To me the best preparation is ensuring others are taken care of. I’m 26 years old, I do not need anything. I’ve got a home, I’ve got a vehicle, I’ve got food and clothes... what else do I need? My preparations generally entail making sure others have what they need and want. The newspaper is always extraordinarily busy this time of year, so sleep is definitely not an option.
However; I get to go watch all the Christmas concerts that your children are putting on, making sure they get a little exposure for their hard work.
This year I have the opportunity to go spoil my own nieces and nephews, which has been a long time coming.
I suppose my advice is to spend lots of time with your family and be considerate to others. The gifts are nice but will not stay in their memories forever. Think about doing outdoor activities together, make a beautiful meal as a group, and just take time to love, live and laugh with one another.
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