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December 22, 2011

The Week-After Club

With Thanksgiving barely over, Christmas fast approaching, and New Year's hot on its heels, I'm sure many of you folks are feeling overwhelmed by this holiday season, as we so often are every year.  And it's not just the end-of-the-year holidays that do it to us - there's Valentine's Day, the 4th of July, Labor Day, Memorial Day - not to mention birthdays, anniversaries and other special days people celebrate with family and friends.

Each celebration brings with it a period of mad dashing about, making arrangements, buying gifts, organizing menus and countless other things that take up our time and energy - and money.  And the holidays can be the most stressful of our yearly celebrations because we have to contend with all the other procrastinating celebrants out there preparing for their holidays at the same time.  Small wonder so many people turn into Scrooges each Christmas.

But I've got a solution for you: It's called The Week-Before Club.  

The concept is simple: Celebrate everything a week earlier.  Instead of celebrating Christmas on December 25th, club members have their Christmas on December 18th.  Instead of the 4th of July, we celebrate the 27th of June.  Thanksgiving for The Week-Before Club members falls on the third Thursday of November.  Our Easter is on the Sunday before the full moon following the vernal equinox.  (Etc, etc...)

The Week-Before Club also works for birthdays, anniversaries and other personal dates we all celebrate.  After all, remembering the reason for the celebration is what's important, not the calendar date itself.  And if the week before isn't available for some reason, you can always celebrate the week after instead.  (Not recommended for Christmas, since the week after is New Year's Day.)

Thus, all holidays are celebrated a full week ahead of the majority's.  There are fewer crowds, less frenzy, and you can actually relax on the holiday itself.  Travel plans are easier and cheaper, since you avoid not only the rush of people but those nasty holiday price hikes.  The stores still have plenty in stock, rather than facing the empty shelves left behind by last-minute shoppers.  (And wouldn't it just be nice to not be one of them?)

So do yourself a favor: Next year, join The Week-Before Club and start celebrating everything a week earlier.  You'll be glad you did!

5 comments:

  1. Haha, well there's an idea! I have been pretty stressed out and busy this December. Do you watch Modern Family? There was an episode recently where the family decides to celebrate Christmas on the 16th of December, since they won't be together for actual Christmas day. Somehow they still manage to make a hectic mess of things. :)

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  2. Great idea, Eric! You are the clever one! But early, late or on time, I wish you a very Merry Christmas! Enjoy!

    Sylvia

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  3. Sounds good except for my birthday. I want to count backwards for that.

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  4. I like the concept. I'm thinking month before. Then maybe I can avoid all the frenzied hooplah at the stores too. Hmmmmm. So, how much to join?

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