‘Twas the day before Christmas I sat down to write, but nothing came—writer’s block was my plight. The net was the answer, I knew in my bones, infinite info would lead me back to my zone. The idea leapt out as you will see, a once-a-year treat found by using this key! Then enjoy Christmas day, it’ll soon be past; be mindful and caring, ‘cause the time won’t last!
I want to wish you all a lovely, mindful day filled with caring companionship and joy.
And for those of you who need help facing down all those holiday goodies, check out the truth about chocolate. It should help.
I also want to give a heads-up.
I have a heavy schedule between now and 2015, so new posts will be intermittent at best.
See you all for sure January 2, 2015. (A date I find hard to believe is happening next week!)
“What I don’t like about office Christmas parties is looking for a job the next day.” –Phyllis Diller
The economy is up, companies, especially tech companies, are doing more for their annual parties.
The Annual Christmas party (or whatever it’s called) has often been the cause of broken relationships, harassment claims, dangerous driving and a raft of other problems.
Considering the frat house culture so prevalent today along with over-the-top spending means it has the potential to be much worse this year.
Think about it.
There are better ways to spend the money.
Better ways to draw your team together.
Think about it; better yet, discuss it with your people.
…sex qualified as “moderate exercise,” a 6-MET activity for men and 5.6-MET activity for women. That’s the equivalent, according to various estimates, of playing doubles tennis or walking uphill.
Best of all, it’s a gift that keeps on giving all year round.
Some flash mobs are done for the audience like the one yesterday, while some draw the spectators in.
Whatever the ingredient, what starts as a show reaches people in a way that makes them join in to be part of it, which is what this one does.
I hope you all enjoy the day and whether you celebrate it as Christmas or not be sure to indulge in as many acts of kindness as possible—whether random or not.
I thought that a video would be a nice offering for Christmas. Having seen very few flash mob videos I found myself plowing through dozens of returns to the search “christmas flash mob 2012.”
I got a kick out of this one most likely because I can relate to the instigators. I hope you enjoy it, too.
Last week you got a glimpse of a few difficulties faced by the wealthy (‘rich’ is such a crude word and so open to interpretation, while ‘wealthy’ is less specific).
Today we’ll take a look at gifts for them and for us.
First off, I couldn’t find Neiman Marcus’ famous (infamous:) Holiday Gift Book, but I did find some great food items.
There are marvelous stocking stuffers from a fantasy store (includes links to products) ranging from a pair of Paul Morelli earrings at $37,000 or a Dolce & Gabbana hair comb for $545 to an affordable Pisces powder compact from Estée Lauder for just $70.
Hermès has something special for that evening butterfly who hates carrying a purse; it’s called Nausicaa (rose gold and diamonds) and sells for a paltry $578,000.
I’m always surprised at how affordable many of Tiffany’s business gifts are—not to mention how well they play in other arenas—and always in one of those famous, oh-so-classy blue gift boxes.
Of course we shouldn’t bypass Cartier; and while some of the gifts shown are a bit ho-hum the leopard cubs are adorable.
If I say do so myself, I am a gifting genius. My nieces and friends will attest to my skill at finding what they really wanted; as far as I know, not one of my gifts was ever exchanged. I was a PANK (Professional Aunt, No Kids) decades before it became common, but now there is help for those who are chanllenged.
These days being green and socially responsible are all the rage. This is especially true with teens and twenty-somethings and while some folks really mean it, others merely pay lip-service, but how can you tell the difference?
Holiday gifting is a great time to find out who actually walks the walk or are all talk by giving a gift that helps change the world for people in far greater need than you or they are likely to ever know—in fact, for as little as $52 you can change a Haitian family’s life forever.
A secondary benefit of this kind of gift is the gleeful fun you will have watching the reactions of those who are all talk.
Here are wonderful suggestions for unusual gifts for your mensch friends that also give to others, such as a flock of chickens for a needy family, just $30; $29 buys a girl her school uniform; $69 can start a female entrepreneur in the sewing business; and, if you’re feeling very generous, you can stock a fish pond and teach a man to fish for just $300.
For the ‘it’s all about me’ crowd you’ll find gifts at all levels in this year’s Neiman Marcus Fantasy Catalog, but hurry, the best stuff is going fast. Ten pewter-color Ferraris (luggage set matching the interior included) at $395,000 each sold out within 50 minutes.
It’s that time of the year again; time to find that unique present for the special people in your world, whether business or personal. So, in the interests of lending a helping hand, I thought that over the next four Wednesdays I’d offer up some unique presents for boss, colleagues and other business connections as well as loved ones.
Entrepreneurs face difficulties that are hard for most people to imagine, let alone understand. You can find anonymous help and connections that do understand at 7 cups of tea.
Crises never end.
$10 really does make a difference and you’ll never miss it,
Last week you got a glimpse of a few 
