Advent Calendar Mini-Dates

My partner and I are big holiday fans. We love the movies, the songs, the stories, the decorations, the treats, and everything. But December is also his busiest month, and I’m certainly not sitting home watching Christmas movies and eating those during-Christmas-calories-don’t-count cookies either. So it can be easy for us to miss out on a lot of the together time that we want to have because of how busy we are. A couple of years ago we were gifted an Advent calendar, and not one of those that has pieces of chocolate in them, but one that requires more than 10 seconds of your time. Opening a “door” each day became a really positive way to spend just a little bit of time and do something very seasonal together. We haven’t done it the past few years, but (don’t tell him!) I got us one for this year and I’m excited to be able to connect in that way again this holiday season.

Maybe you don’t have even the extra 5 or 10 minutes each day to do an Advent calendar together or don’t want to buy one each year (if it costs less than a date night does, it’s worth it, especially since you may not have as many date nights this month because of all the holiday gatherings). If that’s the case, maybe you divvy chores up that can be done in the same room, like one of you cleaning up the kitchen and doing the dishes while the other does the cookie baking and treat making. Or folding the laundry together each day to Christmas music. Or getting in a little exercise and walking the dog together while you talk about holiday plans and memories. Or one of you doing work on the laptop/tablet while the other decorates the Christmas tree.

The point is that there are many ways to get all that needs to be done this month completed while still getting in some quality relationship time. It may not look like it usually does but that’s even better because not only is so much else different during this time of year, it’s also good to give your relationship some refreshing too from time to time. Of course if you can find time to get out and do couple things during the holidays, especially those that give you two time to connect and be, and not just those that are filled with other people, that’s great too. But I know how fast December gets full and busy, so it may be better for your relationship if you work on finding 5 or 10 minutes to really connect each day rather than trying to fit in big, committed events and activities. How do you and your partner connect and spend time together during the holidays?

Businesses that Give

It’s the season of giving and I hope that you’ve set your business up for success in the last weeks of the year and that these holiday shopping days have been all that you hoped they would be so far with people buying gifts for others (and themselves). I know many businesses do (steep) discounts during this shopping weekend, which customers obviously appreciate, but is there something else you could give them in this season of giving that they would really appreciate? I don’t know about you, but from all the shopping I did recently as well as the shopping I do locally for groceries each week, there are a few things that I would appreciate more than the discounts (although those are very appreciated of course).

You know one of my biggest issues is with the information aspect of things. I can’t tell you the number of times I backed away from buying something because of a price discrepancy, lack of price information all together, or insufficient advertising (i.e. size or features or aspects aren’t what I want but the ad was vague enough to interest me into checking it out). I want to shop with businesses that I don’t have to question the receipt each time and wonder how I spend all that money. I want to shop with businesses that keep me updated on all things in multiple ways like social, newsletters and/or text messages if that’s what I prefer. I want more people shopping with me who are qualified and ready to put money on the table, not people who I might get lucky with that would buy an alternative item to the one that they came in hoping to buy but wasn’t right for them. I want people who return fewer things because they didn’t have any confusion over what was being offered or how it looked or worked. I want to be known as the business that gets it right for their customers, that customers have an easy and consistent shopping experience with, and a business that customers consistently recommend people back to because of the experience they had with me and with what I offer.

I mentioned the other gift I want to focus on today in that last little bit: consistency. Like you probably do, I shop with certain stores because I know that consistently they’ll have the product I want in stock at a price that’s fair and it’s a good product. The same is true for service providers: we work with the same ones over and over when they’re on time, do quality work, and do it at a fair price. I think you can follow the important thread here: I’m not looking for or expecting businesses to all be top tier or exclusive, I’m just expecting them to provide what they are supposed to provide in a quality manner at a fair (fair to both of us) price. Is it fun to have a surprise or two along the way? Absolutely. I was thrilled to walk into several stores over the past few months and be surprised with exactly what I wanted but the internet didn’t tell me they had in addition to the other things I came there to buy. So while a surprise or two occasionally is great, there are great benefits to being consistent and reliable for shoppers.

So this holiday season as shoppers give you the gift of their funds, what gift will you give them? And will you make it a gift that keeps giving to them all year long or just in the holiday season like the special deals people shop now? I’ve seen in businesses across the whole spectrum that those who give back to their customers in multiple ways during the whole year more consistently make sales and have more repeat customers, and that’s a gift I certainly won’t turn down, will you?

Success Tips from a Turkey

You may think this is a trick question, but what’s the thickest part of the turkey? Countless families are faced with this question again this week, and especially today, as they bake their Thanksgiving turkeys, and as you may know the guidance from the package is that when the “thickest part” reaches a certain temperature, the turkey is ready to enjoy. I don’t know if you’ve seen a frozen turkey recently, but they aren’t exactly small, so the companies aren’t hurting for space to write on. So why you would give this as the instruction instead of saying “stick your thermometer in X location, as it’s usually the thickest and will take the longest to cook.”? I’m not sure, but let me tell you that there are a lot of people who don’t know the answer to the question.

The good news is that thanks to the internet that most of us have access to on multiple devices, with a few clicks we’re able to find the answer to this question and so many more. I was at a store the other day doing some holiday sale shopping and they had one version of an item but not another so I went to customer service and they searched it in the handheld device that the store uses for product management and was able to confirm that I wasn’t missing it, it wasn’t there. So instead of sending me on a wild goose chase or doing the same to an employee who would have something else to do, everyone was able to get their answer in minutes without all the legwork and stress.

While I hope that this year’s holiday celebrations are smooth and successful for you, if you find you’re struggling, look for the obvious and see if there’s something that you’re overlooking because of how you’re explaining it, how it’s being explained to you or for failing to use the available resources. Sometimes it’s that little bit of clarity or applied resources that makes all the difference.

Making Peace for the Holidays Part 2

In the last family post I shared about making the changes and choices to the things you do in and for your holiday season so that it’s filled with more peace than ever. Today I thought we’d talk about one of the more challenging peace topics: making peace with people. Any time of year is a great time to work on fixing a relationship of course, but why not tap into the magic of the holiday season for a little extra boost to fixing those relationships that might be challenged, hurt, damaged or outright broken? This season of the year puts most of us in at least a little better mood (except when we’re driving) and has most of us opening our minds and hearts to what life could be, and with all the celebrations and events that happen, there’s a really good chance that you’ll both be at the same event, and why would you want to be, at the very least, uncomfortable when you could be in a healing stage instead, which would make the event much more appealing and enjoyable?

Like we said last time, peace starts with a choice. You have to choose to fix that relationship, you have to decide that that person is someone you either want in your life or will be in your life for one reason or another (i.e. they’re blood or the parent of your kids), you have to approach them or they have to approach you, and on one level or another both of you have to be open to a different relationship than you currently have. Yes, some people are outright stubborn, but for so many of us time heals and changes so much, so when we do broach the possibility of making peace things are different than they were and while the past isn’t erased or irrelevant, you’re both different people now and it’s a different time, which means that what separated you may not be as important or matter as much as your future together.

One last challenge: maybe it’s not you and them who has to make peace, but just you with yourself. Maybe they don’t have a problem with you, you’ve always been the one that’s put up walls, or treated them differently, or had some reason why you just couldn’t be friends or family with them (especially one that has to do with politics, religion, sex or one of the other very divisive topics). If you really want peace, maybe it’s time to reconsider your attitude towards and treatment of them. Maybe you can find a way to be cordial and respectful without crossing boundaries that you’ve set for yourself. Maybe there’s enough common ground between you that the common ground is more important than the differences and you’re at a place in your life where you’re ready to listen and make peace instead of taking sides.

Is there a relationship in your life that could use a little peace? Is this the right time to start working on healing it? What relationships have you turned around into ones of peace and possibility?

Success Beyond Small Business Saturday

The next 40 some days of the year are some of the most important to way too many businesses in my mind. As much as I’m thankful for all the holidays and celebration, it doesn’t feel good to know that some businesses and some non-profits only have the last 40 days of the year to make a significant amount of their income for the year. I wish more of us could get to this point and be thinking about bonus money instead of the bottom line. I’m definitely not saying that businesses should ignore this time of year and the income potential it contains, I’m saying that we’ve got work as business owners to do to connect with our customers in ways that makes them willing to spend money with us more consistently throughout the year.

One way some companies have done this is through participation in the annual Christmas in July celebrations. It’s certainly become helpful over the past few years with the supply chain issues we’ve had around the world because it meant that we’ve been guaranteed to have at least some of the stuff we want here in time for decorating and gift giving, regardless of which holidays you celebrate at the end of the year. And of course over the years technology and social media have helped them retain a following, which means that even if people only shop with them once a year they can continue to work on building that relationship throughout the whole year, so they’re one of the first places people choose to shop.

I know this time of year can be tiring for business owners, but my encouragement to you is to do more than just make sales through the end of the year. Give people multiple ways to connect with you from text messages to emails to at least two social sites, and maybe even a fun paper newsletter, share about your committed presence at local events or a local-ish road trip, and make sure they know about the cool stuff you do in store (either your physical store or your online one) that would make them want to visit you more often throughout the year. How do you make the most of all the sale days including Small Business Saturday?

The Right People, the Right Team for Success

This past week has reminded me that as great as any plan is, it’s just as crucial to have the right and sufficient people to execute it. I worked on a project that reminded me that I’m not 20 anymore and I can’t do the things I used to do then and get up the next day like nothing happened. You may be familiar with that feeling! I was still working to get back to normal days later.

In my years of working in different industries and with many different people from the very old to the very young, I’ve learned that some people are great thinkers, some people you want at your back when the going gets tough, some people are organized, some are always willing to lend a hand or ear, and some people have the best heart. If the person with a great heart is your support for something that really requires an organized person or someone with a strong back, you may leave with a smile on your face, but it’s not the person who you really needed to work with.

This is another reason why it’s good to be friendly and get to know people, because you want to know who you can depend on for different situations, and if you’ve only got 2 friends, chances are good they’re not going to be available all the time or they’re not necessarily going to be the right person for what you need support for.

As we get deeper into the holiday season, we’re actually provided with lots of great opportunities to get to know new people or get to know people we already know better and build on those relationships so that we can call on them in times of need, and they can do the same with us. With Thanksgiving less than a week away, it’s also a good time to thank the people in your life who have helped you and who make your life better. Who are your go-to people?

Making Peace for the Holidays Part 1

I was listening to my partner do a live video on the topic of peace the other day and all I could think about was the peace I was feeling because I had picked up our turkey. It sounds silly, especially with how many songs and banners and stories talk about peace during the holidays, but for some of us the holidays aren’t totally a source of peace, they’ve got areas of stress in them too. Even as a kid I could remember being stressed about whether or not Santa got my list and if I would get anything on it or what I would get on it (and what “extras” he would think I needed that I’d have to pretend to be excited about), stressed about how I looked for the special holiday services, stressed about my lines and songs for the choir performances we did, stressed about finding time to go shopping with each parent for the other parent, and of course stressed about how many of the Christmas cookies Santa was going to eat when he stopped by with the reindeer!

Yes, I’m playing up the stress a bit here, but stress is just as much a part of the holiday season as Christmas lights, carols, cookies, gathering and gift giving. The older I get the more willing I am to bend and move things around a bit so that there’s less stress on everyone. For example, as you may have guessed we’re baking our turkey early so that neither of us has stress around trying to get it cooked when we’re working 12+ hour days in the days surrounding and including Thanksgiving. What we do for Christmas Day depends on whether either of us is working and rarely now do we travel to my parents in the days surrounding the holiday proper so that we don’t have to deal with the other crazies on the road or consider what the weather might feel like doing. And I can’t forget to mention that we’re all about the Christmas list and totally not ashamed about it!

So what can you do to have more peace in your home throughout the holiday season? Maybe it’s a letter from Santa to your kids saying that He got their Christmas list and he’s working on it. Maybe it’s setting out clothes the night before with kids for holiday gatherings (might be helpful for you too!). Maybe it’s letting everyone open something on Christmas Eve so that the edge is taken off the excitement and maybe they (and you) get some sleep on Christmas Day. Maybe it’s taking a Hanukkah approach to Christmas and spreading the activities out over 8 days rather than just one or two. Maybe it’s baking cookies early so you can enjoy them in moderation through the whole month. Maybe it’s working with the family to divvy up tasks (more so than usual) so that everyone’s involved and everything gets done. Maybe it’s instituting an ‘only Christmas music’ rule after a certain hour of the day to get kids off of TV, computers and devices. Maybe it is buying yourself that holiday beverage that you enjoy each day with an intentional break. What are your suggestions for adding more peace to our holidays?

Holiday Marketing that Makes People Smile

Are you feeling the pressure yet as a business owner for the holidays? I know it sneaks up on us sometimes more than we’d like to admit, and as a result I think some of us slide into some bad habits. In some ways the holidays are about nostalgia and tradition and bringing back the things we love each year, but some companies take it too far. I’m talking about the companies who consistently replay the same commercials year after year for their brands. Sure, they’re classic for a reason and customers do love them, and they’re great as a branding tool for the company, but even the non-business among us start to question why some of the big brands can’t or don’t come up with a new commercial each year.

This week while I was out driving to a client I passed a billboard that was all decked out for the holidays with a new holiday ad and it made me smile. It was a very simple image that was a take on the naughty/nice list that’s a classic Christmas theme. I didn’t remember seeing it in years past from this national brand, but I mention it not just because it’s new, but because it made me smile. Do the commercials we see year after year make me smile? Yes, maybe the first time or two I see them each year because it feels like Christmas has arrived. But after that? I get frustrated on behalf of the marketing team that has access to, I assume, some serious funds and either can’t get consent use them or don’t know how to use them or just aren’t investing in things that people are going to see on a national level.

So if you’re still working on some marketing for the holiday seasons, know that you don’t have to have a big budget to connect with your customers: it just has to have heart and make them smile. There’s nothing complicated about a naughty/nice list or countless other Christmas topics, and yet all that you may need to connect with your customers and bring them in this holiday season is to choose a simple Christmas icon and incorporate it into your marketing. What holiday commercials that you’ve seen have brought a smile to your heart and face?

Backups for Success

Tacos, burritos and wraps are one of the go-to meals in our house, and many other houses too. As I was cooking the meat for them the other night I decided to use a different seasoning mix than the one that we usually use. It amazes me that there are so many different seasoning mixes, and that there are even more hot sauces! There are seasoning mixes that are sweeter, spicier, have less salt, have more cumin, those that have more tomato inspired flavor bases, and the list goes on. Of course we could talk about so many different things in the food world that have hundreds of varieties too like mac-and-cheese, chicken soup and pizza.

So why are there so many seasoning mixes? It’s not because any of them are wrong or bad, it’s because people like different flavors, it’s because sometimes things aren’t available and companies try different things and end up with something that works so they add another variety, sometimes customers just buy based on price and not because you’re particular about flavors (because many are very similar in taste), and if you’re in the seasoning business, mixes are one great way to get people to the table quicker and easier which is appealing for so many reasons.

One takeaway here is that maybe it’s not so bad to have some variety in your life and work. Success isn’t just built on doing the same thing consistently, but being willing to be creative and try new things before you end up looking at a dumpster fire and getting concerned that failure is the only way things are going to go. It doesn’t mean that you can’t have a favorite or that you can’t do things usually one way, but it’s good to have some options in your life for when you need a change, a break or another option. What are some of your backup options and alternatives in food and success?

Different Holiday Perspectives

One of the things I really appreciate about the holidays each year is that they bring us an opportunity to learn from and about each other. The world is a really big, really dynamic place and there’s no way that we’ll ever know it all or even be exposed to all of it, but I do think our lives are richer when we take time to explore things that are new to us, or things that maybe we’ve heard about but don’t really know about but find fascinating. So I love that from late October with Halloween and the other holidays that happen around that time through the New Year, there are a bunch of different holidays we can explore in general, as well as learn about the specific traditions and celebrations that different people and groups around the world have for them.

One of the important reasons why we should take time to see the world as others see it is in a quote from Anais Nin: “We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” I think it’s natural to have a perspective of the world, to have opinions and traditions, to do things because they’re part of your culture or religion. But I also know that my life is richer and I understand others better when I take the time to learn about their perspectives and traditions and don’t just ‘stay in my lane’. It’s not about becoming someone different, but about having more understanding of each other, being able to be more compassionate to each other, and about finding things that are really awesome and you would love to incorporate into your life.

So if you have the opportunity to go to a holiday celebration with a friend or one of your kids does, consider going this year, if for no other reason than to take a break from your life and all that you know. Maybe you won’t want to start any new traditions as a result, but you may get a new appreciation for the ones that you have and choose to participate in them more fully this year. What traditions have you learned about that have made you see the world or the holidays in a different light?