@Angela – wow, thanks! Glad to make the top 5!

@Cb – cheers to an equitable division of holiday responsibilities! Otherwise it can get overwhelming…

@Beth – I love your list. And I love what you managed to do! Boosting your friend’s spirits is just a wonderful holiday gift. For everyone 🙂

My results:
1. Meet my sister in New York to see a play. She got us tickets to see Moulin Rouge in mid-December. Results-the play was awesome, and I enjoyed spending time with my sister and meeting up with my NY-dwelling niece and her boyfriend for dinner. I also went up a day early and wandered around the West Village.
2. Find some good Christmas-themed board books for my not quite one-year-old grandson (and perhaps Christmas PJ’s). My husband, kids, and I all had matching Pajamagram PJs one year. We took a selfie using a tripod which came out great and became the backdrop for our Christmas card the next year. Results: I got my grandson red PJs (because every toddler needs feet pajamas for the winter). I did not buy any Christmas board books. I have a tendency to buy him board books whenever I am near a bookstore, so my accumulation of 6 board books was sufficient.
3. Start meal-planning, cookie-baking recipe selection, and gift planning ASAP for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We are returning home from a 5-and-a-half-week trip this weekend-so the upcoming week will be heavy on list-making. I find that my stress level goes down quite a bit if I get my lists underway the week before Thanksgiving and that it goes up exponentially if I do not. Results: This was one of the nicest Christmas seasons that I have enjoyed as an adult. I spent the long Thanksgiving weekend doing a lot of cyber shopping, which took a lot of the pressure off. During the first couple of weeks in December, we went to my office party and I did a fair amount of friend socializing. I saved the cookie baking for the week leading up to Christmas and offloaded the hated wrapping chore to my willing husband. We did not have to travel to see out-of-state family for the first time ever-they came to us! We have some more social plans continuing through New Year’s week-a few people at a time, which feels really nice.
4. Continue daily physical activity even though it will be getting much colder. I’ve spent the past 3 weeks in Florida-and will sorely miss rolling out of bed and doing my first-thing-in-the-morning walk along a beautiful Gulf of Mexico beach. Results: I did well with this, but my weight is up due to the aforementioned cookie baking……
5. Pick one anchor special holiday activity. For years when my kids were younger, we went to see The Nutcracker in New York. I need to look at local visitor’s bureau websites to get some ideas. I have been wanting to check out the Morris Arboretum train exhibit for a few years-never seem to get there. Results: Once again, the Morris Arboretum eluded us. We ended up having another anchor that warmed my heart, though. We lost a dear friend this year, and his wife (also a dear friend) moved back to our area. We knew the holidays would be tough-so to cheer her up we took her out for pizza, frozen custard (after discovering that a local favorite is open year-round), and a visit to a wildly decorated house that played Christmas-themed music in sync with a light show to raise money for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Our friend sent us the most beautiful text after we took her out-we were so glad that we boosted her spirits.
6. Agree 100% on the importance of savoring-I fought the urge to come up with a more creative, longer list. Sometimes, it is all about reading a holiday-themed magazine with a cup of peppermint tea in hand listening to my Spotify Christmas playlist. Results: I savored all of my holiday magazines, and drank a lot of tea! My husband is getting a little tired of the Spotify playlist, though.

@Kamala – thank you so much! Santa was proud indeed!

@Barb – I will have to check that out! Next year for sure the little guy might be fine with it.