When is a holiday a holiday?

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

New Year is a special holiday. He came to us from time immemorial and still remains the most beloved and long-awaited celebration. On New Year's Eve, miracles happen, dreams come true and hopes come true. It is on this day that we forget all the old grievances, sorrows and failures and with a pure heart remember only the pleasant. Probably, the New Year is the only holiday in the power of which to unite all close people.

However, an excuse to have fun only turns into a real holiday when the appropriate preparations are made. And if so, it is useful to start preparing for the meeting of Santa Claus in advance, not putting everything on the back burner and not leaving it for the last day. So if you decide to celebrate this day by gathering family and friends at your home, you need to spend it in such a way that it will be remembered for the whole next year.

December 1. Before you build a schedule of affairs, you need to decide how you want to celebrate the New Year, where and, most importantly, with whom. Of course, a hospitable hostess should welcome any guest, even an uninvited one, with open arms, but it is still better to play out all possible options so that later you do not have to squeeze out a smile and positive emotions.

December 2nd. Today we need to spend every effort and reflect on our plan. Since today is a day off, there is no need to rush to work, you can allocate at least an hour to distribute everything. Think about which room the table will be in, how you will decorate it, how you will seat the guests, etc. Maybe someone will consider it insanity to "seat" the invitees a month before their arrival, but this can help you not to get confused at the right time and meet them in full "combat" readiness.

Before the New Year, relatively inexpensive souvenir gifts - pens, notepads, purses, etc. are in demand. 21% of Russians will buy them for their loved ones for the holiday. The next most common gifts will be sweets, alcoholic beverages, delicacies (11%), toys for children (8%) and perfumes, cosmetics and bijouterie (8%). One in a hundred Russians this year will receive gifts such as a camera, camcorder, TV, music center (0.6%) or a computer (0.5%).

December 3rd. Now it's time to think about gifts. Since many people have to give gifts in the New Year, it is better to stop your eyes on inexpensive souvenirs. Guests should also avoid giving expensive gifts. Thus, you can embarrass them not just for the evening, but for a whole year!

December 4th. It would be good to distribute all domestic and “non-home” duties among relatives. Ask them to help you. However, if the husband stubbornly watches TV or says that he is working, furtively playing solitaire on the computer, and the son immediately has a bunch of lessons, do not insist. Do not try to force them - you will only spoil the mood. You will have to command the parade yourself.

5th of December. From now on, make it a rule to spend at least a few minutes a day on yourself in the next 3 weeks. It takes exactly so long to stop and think: "What can I do for my own pleasure? How can I please myself?"

At first, all sorts of nonsense will creep into my head: they say, nothing, except for an immediate trip to the Bahamas, will decorate my life. However, true joys do not have to be expensive: it is quite possible that you will get much more pleasure if you get up from your computer desk this minute and go for a walk for half an hour. With this you will not only please yourself and relax, but also raise your New Year's mood.

December 6. Make a New Year's menu. Remember, the organization of a holiday requires not so much money as invention and creative spirit. It is the mood of the holiday that remains in the memory, and not the plentiful table, which in our time you will not surprise anyone. Better think over the main idea of the holiday, the purpose for which you are arranging it: do you want to please your child, unite the family, establish some traditions …

At the same time, it would not hurt to draw up a list of products necessary for preparing New Year's dishes.

December 7. When you have decided on the food, you can think of another treat. In general, the selection of alcohol on the festive table must be treated with utmost attention. Red dry wines from well-known brands that you trust will not harm. As for vodka, it is definitely dangerous for health, especially for women. And, of course, not a single New Year would be complete without champagne, drunk to the chimes!

December 8. Unlike food that can go bad, you can buy alcohol today. Moreover, the sooner you do this, the less likely you are to face the problem "sorry, but this wine has just ended."

9th December. If you want to please your children and play Santa Claus and Snow Maiden with your husband, you need to thoroughly discuss everything, think over speech and costumes. Guests, too, almost never refuse such pleasure, and therefore for them you can stock up on masks, stupid caps, noses and mustaches. The people with great pleasure dress up in this gimmick to meet the main night of the year. Moreover, dancing in this form is much more fun. I propose to tackle this problem today.

You can, of course, take the path of least resistance: "hire" Santa Claus, but you must admit that in the first case there will be much more pleasant memories!

December 10. New Year's holidays are getting closer, time is running out, prices for gifts are growing … Since today is a day off - take a moment and go shopping. Buy all the gifts on the list, you can not all, but only a part. Do not be discouraged if something is not on the shelves of the store. There is still time.

December 11th. Once upon a time in many families there was a tradition to prepare homemade toys for the Christmas tree. Now this is already a rarity. Or maybe it's worth, while there is still an opportunity, to ask the older family members, as was done before, and one fine New Year's Eve, stun the guests with an unusual Christmas tree - with eggshell fish, gold chains, stars made of foil and straw, gingerbread houses and huts on chicken legs? In addition, for children, this day can become not only fun, but also a whole holiday.

12 December. It's time to think about a festive outfit. It is believed that the New Year should be celebrated in something new. However, it is not necessary to buy yourself an expensive evening dress and shoes. You can limit yourself to some kind of accessory or decoration.

December 13th. If, nevertheless, nothing from your wardrobe is combined with such an event, you can go shopping today in search of a more suitable outfit. If you want something original, you can try to find a carnival costume (or rent one). For such an occasion, you can take time off from work early, not forgetting to warn your boss.

December 14. What's our schedule with you today? Maybe you should buy some of the "non-perishable" products from the list?

According to consumer market researchers, the celebration of the last New Year, taking into account gifts, cost 5% of Russians 500 rubles. and less, 42% - from 500 to 3 thousand, 37% - from 3 to 10 thousand, and 16% - more than 10 thousand rubles.

December 15th. In the New Year, you want a special kind of attitude. Talk to loved ones, friends, acquaintances, forget old grievances, do not drag them into the New Year. Why not do it today?

December 16. Agree, a fun and unusual holiday is better than a boring and standard feast. How to arrange such an evening, you ask? It's time to turn on your ingenuity. One of the best ways to make a party stand out is to add sweepstakes and contests. A friend of mine once played a prank on her husband like this. She said that on December 31 she urgently needed to fly on a business trip and could not refuse in any way, tk. her work depends on it. Instead, she climbed into a red bag and asked her friends to "deliver" her to her husband … They still remember this story. Still, in every adult, even the most pragmatic, there is a cheerful, funny and mischievous child who is just waiting for the opportunity to play pranks.

December 17. Don't forget about toast. So that the guests do not get bored at the table and do not drink for the third time "for love and happiness", I propose to think before going to bed about the words of wishes that you would like to say in front of each of the relatives and friends around you. If nothing comes into your head, you can search for them on the Internet or consult on Cleo's forums. By the way, don't forget about your online friends!

December 18. What New Year is without fireworks, firecrackers, sparklers? That's right, that no! I propose to be a pyrotechnic today.

December 19th. Do you remember the saying: "One does not enter the New Year with old debts"? Now you know what to do today.

December 20. Distant relatives are worth considering as well. It will not be difficult to send a greeting card to the only and beloved aunt in Samara. And how nice it is to know that you are remembered and taken care of!

21 December. There is a tradition of making a wish while the clock strikes on New Year's Eve. It will not be good to be confused at such a moment, so you should think carefully in advance what you would like to wish yourself in the coming year.

December 22. Consider an alternative pastime. When all the fun has been tried, it will become unbearable to sit at the table, it is worth entertaining the guests with something else. You can buy interesting comedy films, or even better, look for old videos taken on New Year's, at a birthday party with relatives, etc., and watch them with friends. Believe me, these hours won't pass without nostalgia and kind smiles.

December 23. The best day to buy a green beauty! When choosing a Christmas tree, it is imperative to correlate its size with the dimensions of the room that it will decorate. If you prefer an artificial one, bought last year, take yourself a day off today.

Moscow ranked third in the world in terms of the cost of celebrating the New Year 2005. A holiday in the Russian capital costs an average of $ 90 per person. More expensive only in London ($ 95) and Tokyo ($ 111).

December 24. Woke up in a cheerful mood? Go ahead and decorate the tree! Someone prefers to create this miracle later, someone earlier, but I think that a week before the New Year is the very thing: after all, during this time she will not have time to get bored and call her eyes and will create a pre-holiday mood. Ideal for the Christmas tree would be a bright, well-ventilated part of the room, away from heat sources. Do not use candles and sparklers to decorate the Christmas tree - the danger of fire is too great. But self-made toys will look amazing.

December 25. We have already done most of the work, but it is too early to relax. To make the New Year feel not only in the main hall, where you most likely put the tree, you should also decorate the rest of the rooms. You can even dress up a palm tree in the kitchen.

December 26. Let's take care of the music today. It is worth choosing not only a dance melody, but also some light, not distracting, melody for the time of a festive dinner.

December 27th. By the way, preparing for the New Year, it would not be bad to think about spending time on the post-holiday days. You can, for example, buy a ticket to a theater or cinema for a sensational film that you never got to see before the New Year.

December 28th. Dedicate this evening to yourself. Take a bath with aromatic oils, which Cleo. Ru wrote about not so long ago. Make yourself masks, pamper your body with balms and creams. Because the coming days are going to be very tense.

December 29th. I suggest doing some spring cleaning. No matter how beautifully decorated the Christmas tree is, no matter how rich the table is, dust on the shelves and cobwebs in the corner will not add joy to you or your guests. Therefore, it is worthwhile to arm yourself with a rag, a vacuum cleaner and a husband (here it is still worth being firm) and clean the entire apartment.

December 30th. The most difficult days remain, but it is worth making the last march before the long-awaited rest. This day can be spent on the purchase of missing products and various little things to the table. I suggest going to bed early and building up more energy.

31th of December. Probably, this day is the hardest for housewives. Today you need to have time for everything: prepare dishes, set the table, put yourself in order, which is not unimportant at all. And besides, after all the tests, it is necessary to maintain a "healthy mind in a healthy body" and not lose your mood until the evening.

In addition to all this, I want to add that you should not forget about feelings. No matter how clear your regulations and plan are, remember that any rules are good if they make life better, not complicate it.

Happy New Year!