First, realize how important energy is and imagine yourself as being full of the electric power of energy. Energy has been described as:

“the power and ability to be physically and mentally active.”

We all know how important action is to achieving anything. Start to take action both physically and mentally on the things that need to be done and the feeling of energy and eagerness to act may well appear like the genie of the lamp.

Benjamin Franklin made the value of energy clear:

“Energy and persistence conquer all things.”

Secondly, get moving physically. Go for a walk or skip rope! Sitting down or sleeping are not always the best ways to gain energy. Expend some energy instead by some kind of physical movement and you will ignite the fires of the mental and physical energy that are available to all of us.

Thirdly, even if you don’t feel enthusiastic about Christmas, or any similar event, pretend that you are. The pretence may well become your reality.

Frank Bettger lost his enthusiasm for baseball but decided to act as if he was enthusiastic. He soon earned the name ‘Pep Bettger’ and ended up playing in the major leagues. His enthusiasm for the game returned. A similar thing happened when he became a salesman.

The following quote from Norman Vincent Peale could be applied to Christmas amongst other things:

“You only lose energy when life becomes dull in your mind. Your mind gets bored and therefore tired of doing nothing. Get interested in something! Get absolutely enthralled in something! Get out of yourself! Be somebody! Do something! The more you lose yourself in something bigger than yourself, the more energy you will have.”

One could, for example, get enthralled by Christmas and see the hard work that Christmas can involve as a huge opportunity to be and do more.

Sending Christmas cards can be a chore or an opportunity to get in touch once more after a year of non-communication. Even a late Christmas card is better than none! You can, at least, tell your relative or friend what you have been up to even if your news arrives in January!

Fourthly, recapture your childhood wonder at the experience of Christmas or at a similar event that thrilled you as a child. Enjoy the snow falling down in the TV advertisements, if not in the real world.

Get excited by the story of Christmas and, whether you believe the story or not, see Christmas as a chance to ‘love your neighbour as yourself’. In fact, you will probably have an even better chance to love your relatives as yourself as they visit you or you visit them on Christmas day or Boxing day.

Loving relatives and neighbours can be difficult unless we look for the good in them. We all have our good and bad sides. The bad usually emerges when we are deprived of what we want. I remember, as a youngster, not being given the corner of the Yorkshire pudding which I much preferred to the soggy middle. Instead of taking this philosophically, I ate a spoonful of mustard as a public protest while my family looked on amazed. No one suffered but me!

Look on the good side of people and the resulting peace and love will generate enormous energy.

Fifthly: “Give and it will be given to you.” These famous words from the Sermon on the Mount describe a universal law. You can’t give without receiving something back.

Giving can have unexpected advantages. In October 2007, I gave my sword to my weapon’s instructor as a present for his sixtieth birthday. Since then the UK government have decided to make Samurai swords illegal.

Samurai swords have been used in so many robberies in Britain recently that the government have turned against them. If my instructor keeps the sword, he will be arrested instead of me!

Sixthly, getting organised and using time saving tips can also help in dealing with the mountain of tasks that need doing at Christmas or at times when you seem to have too much to do. I came across a brilliant tip from Michael Rasmussen about both saving time and improving what we do. He suggests that we write down everything we do. This will help us get more done and will improve the quality of our lives as well. He writes:

“It has been shown that anything you track will improve.”

If you write down everything that you eat and track your weight in detail as they do at organizations like ‘Weight Watchers’, you will start to make better food choices and your weight may well go down as your energy goes up!

Write down what you spend your money on daily and you will notice that you no longer throw it away on things you don’t need or really want. You will also notice that you seem to have more money than before. You will be able to buy bigger and better presents for your beloved relatives at Christmas! You could, of course, save up to buy a house on a hill to avoid the effects of global warming.

Write down all the things you actually do when working on your business or some other project and you may well find that you get more done and that you get it done more quickly. The only way to find out if this works is to give it a go and see what happens. If it works you will have more time to spend with friends and relatives over the Christmas season.

Rasmussen suggests an experiment. For seven days, write down everything you do to improve your business or other type of daily work. You may be surprised at how little you actually do compared with what you think you do! Without the actual numbers, we tend to exaggerate the amount of work we do. Knowing the real numbers can help us to take more action and to get on with the job in hand.

Write down the number of press ups and sit ups you do every day. Even if you think they will make no difference to your fitness or looks, do them anyway and keep track of the numbers. You will probably find you end up by doing more exercise and becoming fitter, stronger and better looking!

Even if you think writing down everything you do is a complete waste of time, just try it for a week or two and see if it does make a difference. In my view, success is doing what you plan to do even if you think you are wasting your time and even if the results are not what you expected. Do what you plan to do and you will become a much more effective person and your charisma will increase.

Charisma has been defined as: “the ability to attract the attention and admiration of others, and to be seen as a leader.”

You will also find out what works and what doesn’t. Write down what you do over Christmas, or any similar type of event, and see if that helps you enjoy the event more. It should also help to actually write down what you have to do before you do it. Writing a to do list has been shown to improve effectiveness in a big way.

Seventhly, realize that whatever you do might make a real difference to yourself or someone else. That Christmas card you send could well cheer up someone up who is feeling sad and lonely. That book you gave to someone or read yourself might change lives for the better.

To sum up: Realize the importance of energy. If you feel exhausted try going for a walk or run. Of course, there is nothing wrong with a good sleep as well. Get excited by events like Christmas and the New Year.

Act with enthusiasm even if you don’t feel enthusiastic. Pretend you really enjoy Christmas even if you don’t! Give and it shall be given to you. Love and you will be loved and will generate enough electric energy to make your hands tingle.

Write down everything you do or as much as you have time to write down. Make your plans and follow through on them whatever the results. Carry them out even if you think they will make no difference. Follow the seven ideas in the article above and you may well recapture the magic of this festive season and start looking forward to similar events.

Remember that, before you know it, next year’s Christmas 2008 will be upon us. I now keep my Christmas tree downstairs to save the hassle of climbing up into the attic to bring it down again after what seems like only a few weeks!

As my ladder to the attic collapsed under my weight a few months ago, this seems like a very wise move. I have no idea how Santa Claus manages to climb all those roofs without some kind of major injury!

Have a great Christmas and a brilliant New Year!

You are allocated your seats when you first go in through the entrance so there is no mad rush to make sure you get a good seat. Everywhere in the arena as a good view with no obstructions to obscure your view. There is a predinner show in the Carriage Room is around 50 mins long and gives you the chance to have a cool drink and relax, where a Husband and Wife entertains you all, illusions to really open your eyes and a good old singalong. Watch out though, as you may end up on stage! Souvenir Cowboy Boot glasses are free with all soft drinks a the bar and the kids seem to love these.

There is also a large gift shop which can be visited before or after the show. The main show starts by the compere seperating the crowd in to the Reds and Blues, which becomes more aparant as the night goes on as each team抯 riders take part in competitions to win the rosettes for the ultimate winner of the night. Your server will also get you involved by cheering and kicking the boards throughout the show, the children love it. Your dinner is more of a feast than a dinner and you start off with a Dixie Stampede Homemade Soup and an Homemade American Style Biscuit. Hickory Smoked Pork Loin is then also served not to mention the Whole Rotisserie Chicken that they serve for each person!

Make sure you take your expanding Trousers, you will need them. You are also served Corn on the Cob, Season baked potatoes and then to finish a freshly baked Desert Pastry. Beer, Wine, Tea, Coffee and unlimited Pepsi is also served through the evening. They also take a souvenir Photo of you and your entire party, which are delivered to your table during the evening, there is no pressure to buy them but I抦 sure you will be taking it home with you. This show is different to the ordinary Dixie Stampede, as they capture the story of Christmas within the main show itself.

A Nativity scene is lowered from the ceiling and the story told to all around. It really gives you a sense of warmth when you hear the Story of how Jesus was born. The show even involves young children from the audience to take part in a chicken run, and they love it. The entertainment never stops. Ostrich race, Cowboys and Indians, Reds and Blues, they even through in a little romance. I never knew horse riding could be so exciting. This is certainly one of the best family shows we have seen in Orlando in all the years we have been visiting, this was our second visit to the Dixie Stampede and was more special than the first.

9. Tickets to Anything That You Might also Want to See – Christmas is the time to buy tickets to the ballet, a musical or (God forbid) Clay Aiken.

8. Clothes – This can go either way, if you know her size and style go for it. If you’re not absolutely sure of both then stay away.

7. Gift Certificates – You’ll pretty much be showing her that you’re the most unimaginative, boring guy in the world.

6. Membership to a Gym – Unless she specifically asked for it, don’t give it or you’ll surely be sending the wrong message.

5. A Massage – If you want to buy her a massage then buy some oils and a book and learn together. Don’t pay for some guy to massage her when you can do it yourself.

4. Anything That You Might Like/Use Too – No DVD players, no TVs, nothing like that, instead Make her feel special, buy her something for her, not for you.

3. A Puppy – This can be tempting, she’s sure to love it at first, but what about once it poops and then needs to go for a walk and then barks all night. Unless she’s explicitly told you she wants a puppy don’t get her one.

2. Anything You See on TV – Even if it is cool, odds are she’ll see the same infomercial at some point and immediately think less of the gift.

1. Nothing – A sure way to never have to worry about giving her anything again.

Christmas decorations do not stop there. Holiday d閏or for many includes small nativity scenes and even whole cities to sit on table tops. Setting up beautifully crafted miniature figurines of angels, Santa, reindeer, sleighs, snowmen and more on desktops, file cabinets and even above the mantle is how many people prepare for the holiday season.

Others prefer to go larger. Lawn d閏or including full size and over-sized figurines partying in the middle of the lawn or on top of their homes depict favorite scenes from holiday memories. From homemade decorations to elaborate store bought pieces, there are thousands of Christmas items to choose from to complete your holiday d閏or.

Cinnamon scented shapes and strings of cranberries and popcorn may be a traditional part of your holiday celebration. Some families create new traditions like picking out a decoration each year to add to their collection. Other families assign one person to choose the theme and then decorate accordingly. Groups of neighbors have gotten together and had contests for lawn d閏or. There is no wrong way to decorate for Christmas.

The most important part of holiday d閏or is planning. Without the hours of forethought put into Christmas d閏or many of the memories of Christmas scenes we cherish from our childhood, as well as new memories that are being built every year, would not exist. Don抰 wait until the last minute to decide on your Christmas d閏or.

Keep in mind the amount of space you have and your budget. From trees and lights to candy canes and velvet bows there are literally thousands of choices to make when it comes to holiday d閏or. Your choices should reflect your personality.

If you are decorating your office you may want to go with more of a traditional approach. If you have space for a tree you could either decorate it yourself or invite a local elementary school to assist. However you tackle the project, choosing and displaying holiday d閏or early will allow you more time to relax and enjoy the season.

The iPod was first introduced to the market in the early 2000′s. Since then, Apple, Inc. has continually refined its technology and introduced new versions of the iPod on a regular basis. They’ve even pioneered different versions of the same product – everything from the small iPod shuffle, to the video iPod to the iPod Nano.

Apple recently introduced the latest addition in the line of iPods: the pink 8GB iPod Nano. Available in nine colors, the pink Nano combines functionality with fun. Like with other iPods, it allows you to upload music and videos from iTunes. In addition, the Nano can be loaded with TV shows and movies for viewing anywhere, anytime. You can even upload your favorite photos to your pink 8GB iPod Nano, making it your very own on-the-go photo album!

For the new 4th generation iPod Nano, Apple has added an enhanced music shuffle feature. In addition, they’ve made it easier to add favorite songs to a playlists. No more scrolling through all of your music to find your favorite songs.

Simply push the center button on the Nano and the favorite songs are added to an On-the-Go playlist. The Nano also includes the new Music Genius function that pair similar songs for your listening pleasure. Don’t let the favorite girl in your life miss out on the fun this new iPod Nano offers. Whether it’s music, movies, or games – the iPod Nano has it all.

The girl on your gift list will love all of the features on the new pink Nano and will think you’re the coolest person for getting it for her. And hey, who doesn’t want to be popular?

The ceremony of putting up the Christmas Tree has both been the source of frustrated and disappointed consumers as they attempt to put up the lights. For this reason the Pre-Lit Artificial Tree is a time and money saver as well as a delightful addition to any home d閏or.

As you visit your friends or family you will notice each household has a distinct look to the Christmas tree, its lights, the decorations chosen, and as well as the size and shape of the Christmas Tree.

The beauty of a Pre-Lit Artificial Tree is that the lights are uniformly distributed throughout the branches of the artificial Christmas Tree on the market. This is done at the factory under a symmetrical guideline so the work is all done for you.

All you basically do is to plug the tree in after quickly assembling this Artificial Christmas Tree. What took hours or a day to do in the past in stringing lights on the tree will take less than one half an hour to start enjoying the Christmas tree all lit up and ready to go.

This makes adding decorations if that is your choice much easier and faster for the complete look to be completed.

The other option is ordering your holiday tree fully decorated and fully lit up with all the lights. Again this is accomplished at the factory and also with great symmetry by professional decorators adding to your Christmas enjoyment and ease.

This type of tree is an easy care product with no watering, no shedding of needles, no mess, no falling over and especially no mold and pollen for those with allergies to evergreen Trees. The Artificial Pre-Lit Christmas trees are made stronger to carry the weight of lights and ornamental decorations and are held more securely in stands that real Christmas Trees.

The Artificial Christmas trees of today come to your door in a secure box or even a storage bag that you can order directly from the manufacture which will store your tree away from dust or allergens during the year.

For this reason they are considered highly environmentally friendly for those with allergies or asthma in your family and much easier to maintain.

The lights are installed into the branches and wired to join with each level of the tree from top to bottom which creates a more uniform and professional look to the whole design of the tree. Lets face it not too many people know how to do this effectively and have a seamless look to the lighting effect of a well decorated tree. There are no extension cord requirements and strands of lights that supposedly plug into each other. A Pre-assembled Christmas Tree is the simple way to light the tree quickly and without the frustration.

Year after year we try to unravel that ball of lights from the year before as it is all wrapped up into a mess which takes forever to unravel to even start stringing them on the tree.

One bulb burns out and the whole strand has to be thrown out, which costs money and contributes to land fill which is such as waste.

A good size tree of any height can be assembled in literally minutes for the average household that saves hours of time and effort. The branches can be shaped into a corner if space is a problem as they are flexible and come in various widths to fit any space in your home.

Each branch of the tree comes color coded so they match into the perspective position which has all been pre-determined and engineered for the overall effect of a well proportioned tree and this is done by professionals.

All the reasons to buy this type of seasonal decoration are very clear and the real environmental concerns of cutting down healthy lively trees is just one more reason to purchase a Pre-Lit Artificial Christmas tree this year.

1) EXERCISE EARLY:- Most people have less free time over Christmas due to visits from families and friends, parties and other social occasions. As a result a lot of people feel that they do not have the time to train. However, if your evenings really are that busy then why not try getting up an hour earlier than normal and doing some training? Not only will this allow you to continue getting regular exercise but it will hopefully make you feel a little more alert for the rest of the day after working out.

2) GO TO THE GYM:- Over December it usually gets very cold and icy outside. These conditions do not lend themselves to outdoor exercise. Therefore, if you normally exercise outside why not try going to the gym for a month or two until the weather gets better? You may prefer to exercise outside and you may not really like the gym but if the weather does not permit outdoor exercise it may be your only option.

3) GET SOME EXERCISE DVDS:- If you really dislike the gym and the winter weather does not permit outdoor exercise then you could try an exercise DVD. This will allow you to perform a structured workout in the comfort of your own home as long as you have the space available. You could even buy some exercise DVDs as Christmas presents for your family and friends and get everyone else doing a little more physical activity too.

4) EAT HEALTHY:- Another reason that people are less likely to exercise over Christmas is the increased chances of catching the common cold or the flu. However, by eating the right foods you can keep your immune system strong and reduce your chances of catching either of these health ailments. Many people let their diet slip over the festive period and as a result are more susceptible to infections. However, if you stick to a good diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables you can avoid the common cold and the flu and carry on exercising right through the holiday period.

I hope this article has got you thinking about how you can fit in some exercise this Christmas. Yes it is a difficult time of the year to exercise but with a little forward planning you can maintain a consistent workout routine over the festive period.

For one thing, make time to exercise. The day after each feast, run an extra mile or two. Push yourself harder in your workout to burn those extra calories.

It is harder to burn the calories than to avoid consuming them in the first place.

What if your mom, grandma or favourite aunt insists you have a second helping of potatoes or pudding because you need to put some weight on those bones. Could you turn her down politely? What if she gets offended if you don’t seem to like her extremely fattening specialty?

That is more likely to happen if your plate is empty. So fill your plate with healthy alternatives and eat very, very slowly. Take tiny bites, so you seem to always have a lot of food on your plate.

What about all the free flow of wine at a friend’s house? Or the alcoholic drinks everyone downs at the club? Go for mineral water ahead. Yes. Don’t deprive yourself or you might binge, so let yourself have just one glass of wine or champagne for that party but have mineral water the rest of the time. To avoid deprivation, let that be the best wine you can afford. Hey, instead of 3 glasses of a cheaper wine, go for 1 glass of very good wine.

What if you go to an all you can eat buffet?
Wouldn’t it be a waste of money if you don’t eat all you can.

Go straight for the seafood. The raw oysters and fresh seafood would make up for it. If you are scared of getting food poisoning, then go for the cooked food. Skip the carbohydrates and go for lean protein. Remove the skin from the chicken or turkey or duck and eat breast meat which is lowest in fat.

More buffet tips are covered in the article
How To Survive A Feast

Bird lovers like to decorate their Christmas wreaths with their favorite small stuffed birds surrounded with holly berries that birds love. Christmas wreaths can be made just for the birds or you can recycle your Christmas wreath after the season and provide the birds with needed food during the cold winter months.

If you take your wreath down in January or February you can transform it into a wreath just for the birds. Roll the pinecones first in peanut butter and then in birdseed. Wrap some floral wire around the base of each pinecone and attach it to the wreath. If you have purchased a Christmas wreath from a company like, Acadia Wreath Company, the pinecones already have picks on the base to attach to the wreath.

String a few popped kernels of popcorn together then roll them in peanut butter and birdseed, a treat loved by blue jays. Take a large needle and string clusters of three or four whole, raw, unsalted peanuts in the shell and tie to the wreath. Make sure you use a natural thread like raffia. You can do the same thing with bundles of fresh grapes. Slice apples, pears or oranges and hang them on the wreath. It’s best to leave the strings of peanuts, or fruit short, a couple inches long at most, so they are easy for the birds to handle.

Transforming your Christmas wreath into a wonderful source of food for your birds also provides you with the wonderful pastime of watching the birds as you sit and enjoy your morning coffee. It’s a fun activity to share with the children in your life. Teach them the value of recycling, the wonders of nature right outside the door and the joy of watching birds.

Once the birds have eaten everything on the Christmas wreath you can always put more goodies on or if it’s a balsam fir Christmas wreath, you can recycle the balsam needles. Make a fragrant draft stopper by sewing the balsam needles into a long muslin bag or make a balsam sachet.

It just takes all the fun out of it when we have to tell them what we want, they are just supposed to know. It was a lot simpler when we listened closely for the conversation between our little ones and Santa. There was also the great hints in the letter to Santa that kept us in tune with the wishes of the small set.

I for one hate the commercials that rattle off what the next biggest idea for Christmas is, this drives people crazy trying to find it. God knows it is hard to keep up but the television is a robotic hypnotist to dupe our little ones into asking for things that are no way near our budget.

What happened to the days when you enjoyed making a treasure and the gift receiver loved it just because it came from you. I understand the concept of what do I buy that person that has everything.

Gift cards have there place if you know the places they love to shop and don’t have a clue what they would like to have. It’s a simple solution, this will take care of the giving without having to think about what to get.

Sometimes this is an easy out that will take care of a few people on your list. Add an ornament to the gift card so they can have a present to put on the tree when they return home.