Do: Less

We're on the brink of October; buckle your seat belts, holiday season is about to begin. Holiday season used to start with Thanksgiving, but with the internet age giving us easy access to more products and ideas, we've begun to overdo anything we can get our hands on. One victim has been the holiday season: somewhere in the early 2000's, its launch was pushed up to Halloween. Did we get to vote on this change? Nope, culture dictated it. Decorating your house for Halloween? I don't believe that concept existed in the 1900's: kids dressed up, went door-to-door to get free candy—that was fun enough.

On top of the Halloween-Thanksgiving-Christmas triple threat, all of my children were born in the fall. This week, I'm mentally preparing to celebrate everything imaginable in a 3-month stretch, starting with two birthdays next week. These stacked months ahead are leading me to proactively prepare for the journey, and my mantra is: DO LESS. I have to keep repeating this to myself, because I'm constantly tempted to do too much. If there's a word for our age, it just might be OVERDO. Overdo is the road more traveled in our privileged Silicon Valley, where we can have anything we desire on our front stoop lickety-split, and waiting 2 Amazon Prime days feels like a long time. 

I don't want the curse of overdo to rob me of enjoying the celebrations I'm about to mark. Let's use this article as a launchpad to share ideas for how we can say no to our culture of MORE IS BETTER and say yes to LESS IS MORE, and thereby truly enjoy the holidays that are fast approaching.

Here are some ideas to get us started. Let's also explore the question: Why are we tempted to overdo things? What are the desires we mistakenly believe overdoing will fulfill? How does the reality fail to deliver; what are the results of overdoing? Share your ideas and thoughts in the comments on Instagram and Facebook.

Ideas for how to DO LESS with birthdays, holidays, showers, weddings, etc.:

• Consider not buying brand new Halloween costumes. Initiate a costume swap with families at school or make costumes.
• Try to keep children's birthday parties simple. Don't bow to the temptation to turn them into a quinceañera or Bar Mitzvah. Have the party at home or at a local park. A special dessert + a group of friends + extended play time = great party. 
• Add your ideas in the comments on Instagram or Facebook.