The boss has told you to take some extra leave this Christmas to help the company reduce the pressure on the bottom line, and all you can do is say, no worries, chief, will do. But then you think, well, yes, that’s all well and good, but what am I actually going to do during those extra few days? The answer is simple: planning. You should be doing this every year anyway, planning some specific activities for the holidays, so when that extra time is forced on you it’s not a problem to go from three big things to do to five. Sort of a Top 5 things you’d like to do over the Christmas and New Year holidays that won’t break the bank. In any case, here’s our Top 5 things we will do these holidays:
NUMBER 1: Catch a train for a day in the city. Grab your partner and the biggest, fattest wallet you’ve got, check out the train timetable and off you go. Book lunch somewhere nice, hopefully with harbour views, but not too much because it will mean your entrée will set you back $30 instead of $13. Start with a cup of coffee near the Rocks and Circular Quay, spend some time in a good book store and go for a stroll along the Opera House promenade. The key is not to be rushed, go at your own pace, and it’s a wonderfully relaxing day, considering you’re in the centre of the madding crowd.
NUMBER 2: Take the kids/grandkids to something with all that money you’ve been saving just for that all year. It doesn’t matter where – it could be a show, the zoo, Luna Park, the movies at Event Cinemas in Liverpool Westfield – they will love all being out together. A tip if grandkids are involved: bring along one or two of their mother to make sure you don’t lose any of the little ones.
NUMBER 3: Organise a midweek barbecue lunch and invite good friends along. This is something you just can’t do the rest of the year, not even on weekends, our lives are just so hectic or maybe we are just too stupid to see that we need to chill out a bit. Again, there’s a good recipe for success, keep it simple so you, as the host, is not too busy preparing and serving to enjoy yourself. And don’t invite more than four people, say two couples, so there’s just the six of you. As for the food, keep that simple, too, throw steaks on the barbie, serve with cooked tiger prawns, salad and freshly baked crusty bread rolls. Add some nice wines and you’re on your wine to a lovely afternoon. Cheers.
NUMBER 4: Read a few good books. Who’s got time for books during the 11 months of the year when we go to work? Nobody is the correct answer, so during the extra holidays we get from our kind, generous boss, we dust off those classics we got for Christmas 12 months ago and sit on a comfy chair outside in the fresh air and start reading. You can read books online these days too, so for those with ipads and kindle, same goes for you savvy people.
NUMBER 5: Don’t have a plan for every day and take it as it comes. This is the opposite of the rest of the year when you wake up and the first thing you do is start planning your day at work. Not to please the boss or anything. No, you plan for an important reason: to help you get through the mountain of work you have to do each day. The big pile that never seems to get any smaller, no matter how many hours you put in. So when on holidays, wake up and spend the whole morning thinking about what you may have for lunch or what book you will read today.
