The holidays are coming. For some this is a time of great joy and for others it can lead to a great deal of stress. We are busier than ever at this time of year. We attend numerous parties. We visit with family members and friends we may not see during the rest of the year. There is the expectation that everything must be perfect from the holiday table, to the presents we choose, to decorating the house, just the right card to send, right down to the clothes we wear. And we must keep up our regular daily life and work at the same time. No wonder people get stressed out.

Feng Shui is all about balance. This is a very important message to remember every day, but especially important at the holidays. We are not perfect, life is not perfect. If you remember this everything will be so much easier. It is not about how big, how expensive, or how elaborate or how perfect, but how joyful we can make the holidays. It is the little imperfections in life that make us learn, grow and remember each day.

Food is a major centerpiece of any celebration and never more so than at the end of year celebrations. When we eat we absorb the qi not only of the food itself but also the qi put into it by the cook. Balance your meals throughout the season. Use all the colors and tastes in your cooking. Balance hot and cold, sweet and sour, soft and hard, smooth and rough, spicy and mild. You get the idea. Balance small and large meals. We all tend to overeat at this time of year, there are so many delicious items we deny ourselves the rest of the year.

When you are cooking be as organized as possible. Plan your shopping list so you have everything you need at hand and ready to go. Make a menu ahead of time as well as a schedule of preparation so that you don’t forget anything or run out of time. Give family members responsibility for parts of the celebration that they can handle. And if they don’t do it exactly the way you would, accept their contribution with a happy heart.

While preparing food it is important, not just during the holidays but every day, to cook in a good frame of mind. If you are angry or stressed that qi goes into the food and becomes part of it. You take that anger and stress into your body when you eat it. So instead put a smile and some love into your feast. And if the turkey is a little dry or Aunty Sarah complains that she prefers her potatoes lumpy instead of smooth, it’s ok. You will have a story to recount at next year’s celebration. Just have a good laugh.