Dear Red Hot Mamas

By: Red Hot Mamas

Published: December 12, 2012

Many of us, including myself already have December burn-out. Every year, I proclaim that the next season will be a stress-free holiday season. Somehow, this goal gets lost. I become overwhelmed and am swept up in the holiday madness.

Preparing for the holidays can be a real drag for me. It always seems to be total chaos and adds a lot of stress in my life. This year, I have a few tips to simplify.

Here are my 5 simple strategies that I’m going to implement this year:

1. I’m scaling back the holiday décor: The outdoor lighting that took me hours to put up last year will be replaced by just a gorgeous wreath placed on my front door. If I need to see lights, I’ll drive to the most decorated area in my town to see them.

2. I’m wrapping my gifts immediately after I bring them into my house – not in a frenzy at the last minute.

3. I’m not sending out cards. I’ll call all those special people in my life to wish them a happy holiday season.

4. I’ll cook the lovely holiday meal, but I’m thinking twice about spending hours baking cookies. There are great bakeries that do a lovely job for all those special holiday treats.

5. I’ll put off the deep cleaning chores like cleaning my rugs until after the holiday season. After all, there will be wear and tear with family and friends visiting.

I tend to try and do everything myself. This usually leads to more stress and more work. This year, I’m also going to ask for help when I need it; which can be difficult. It’s a big step for a lot of us. Really, the ability to ask for assistance when you need it is a wonderful thing. We truly hope that Red Hot Mamas provides a venue in which you CAN ask for help.

Red Hot Mamas had another productive year of providing education and offering support to the thousands of peri-postmenopausal women who count on us as a valuable resource. We’re extremely appreciative of the local RHM programs who continue to offer menopause health programs in their community, year after year. In addition, we’re grateful to all of our education partners who we collaborated with to further improve the dialogue between women and their doctors and build awareness about symptoms, new treatment options and recommended lifestyle modifications.

Here’s wishing you a happy, festive holiday season!

Karen Giblin
Founder and President
Red Hot Mamas