(NAPSW)—The best gift you can give yourself this holiday season is to
start your preparations well in advance. Although reminders about
holiday shopping seem to arrive earlier each year, the lack of an actual
plan can mean little gets done until the last few stressful weeks.
B.B. King portrait by Cindi Bernhardt. (Photo: Business Wire)
To make your holidays merrier—and less stressful—here’s a master plan:
September
Once life gets back on track after the summer vacation, start to make
some lists. Who will you send cards to? Who are you buying gifts for?
Ask family members where they plan to be for the holidays. This time
also offers a great opportunity to browse through the stores that you’ve
always meant to visit.
October
Don’t wait for Black Friday. These days, stores have special offers all
year round. With time on your side, look for innovative gift ideas.
Presents with thought behind them are always appreciated more. Look for
cards that will be special for friends and family to receive. For
example, the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists (MFPA) uses reproductions
of its artists’ unique, original paintings to produce holiday cards,
gift wrap and gift ideas such as desk calendars, books, prints and
puzzles. The worldwide for-profit organization is owned and run by
disabled artists and helps them to earn their living through direct
sales to the public.
If you don’t receive one of these mailings and wish to buy MFPA
products, visit their website at www.mfpausa.com
or call (877) MFPA-USA.
One of those artists is Cindi Bernhardt, who was paralyzed as a teenager
as a result of a gymnastics accident. Bernhardt paints with a brush in
her mouth and her “Crying Eagle” painting to honor the emergency service
people of 9/11 appeared in The New York Times. Among the high points of
her life was carrying the Winter Olympics torch on her wheelchair
through the streets of Pasadena. Another of her passions is blues music,
and one of her portraits of B.B. King was signed by the legendary
musician and auctioned to raise money for an orphanage charity.
November/December
Now that you’ve earned yourself some breathing space, it is a good time
to start writing cards in preparation for posting. A holiday card is
always special to receive, so make it even more special by thinking
carefully about the personal words you write inside. They will be on
display in the homes of your friends or family for a few weeks, so make
sure the message is from the heart. And don’t forget to pop in the
envelope any personal photos for your loved ones. Write up your holiday
menu and confirm invitations for parties and special meals.
With all this work behind you, you will now have time to enjoy the
season with friends and family. You’ll have earned it.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50363936〈en
