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Making Time To Write This Holiday Season
by Danielle Hollister

As the countdown to Christmas day continues, most everyone is naturally all wrapped up in preparing for the big day (and the eve of the big day and the day after the big day).

Whether it's shopping, baking, or hosting holiday gatherings, you are probably engaged in time-consuming activities related to the season.

Although your dedication to these tasks is completely reasonable and most likely pre-planned, your ability to meet these demands and still have to write may not be as realistic. In order to maintain your sanity through the holidays, you should not allow your writing time to totally disappear. You may find yourself feeling somewhat stressed out, as you try to tackle the gift buying and deal with the family get-togethers.

I honestly believe that if you make time to write during this hectic season, you may alleviate some of the inevitable anxiety associated with the holidays. Writing can be as relaxing to writers as watching television is to couch potatoes.

You should not overlook the value of a little "me" time (or break/rest time for you alone). Schedule some "me" time or free time into your busy day, and then actually TAKE IT!

During this break period (however small it may be), you may find that it will help you to write about your worries and/or aggravations.

You could accomplish this goal by:

1. Recording the events of your day into a diary of sorts before you go to sleep each night.
2. Writing random thoughts or jotting down brief notes as they come to mind through out your day.
3. Carrying a journal with you to family gatherings, shopping expeditions, holiday celebrations and related events and then use it to write whatever you feel like writing about at any given time. (For example, you may observe something that inspires a story idea or you may want to record actual images, scenes or conversations that occur during these seasonal festivities.)
4. Making lists of things associated with the holidays that you either know a lot about or want to learn more about - which in turn could serve as possible article ideas for next year at this time.
5. Chronicle your feelings about your child as you watch him experience his first Christmas and then continue to do this each year until he no longer believes in Santa Claus (or until you no longer see the look in his eyes expressing the natural awe of the season that only children have). Compile your account of these yearly events into a memoir for yourself and/or as a gift to share with your child when he gets older. You could also use your chronicle as a stepping-stone for a possible book about Christmas, children, holidays etc.

Copyright © 2003 Danielle Hollister

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