The
Holidays
A
few
days
ago
I
opened
the
Sunday
paper
in
search
of
the
latest
toy
circulars
from
our
area's
big
box
retailers.
As
I
began
looking
over
the
newest
promotions
and
items
for
sale,
I
saw
the
words,
"You
Still
Have
Time."
"I
still
have
time?"
Time
for
what?
Wasn't
Christmas
Day
several
weeks
away?
Surely
it
was,
I
thought.
After
shaking
my
head
in
sort
of
a
"wake
up"
call,
I
had
to
refocus
on
what
day
it
was
and
how
many
days
I
had
left
to
accomplish
all
the
items
on
my
laundry
list.
Honestly,
I
hadn't
even
started
that
laundry
list
or
even
a
grocery
list
for
that
matter.
At
that
particular
moment,
Time
was
no
where
around;
no
where
to
be
found.
I
was
literally
frozen
for
a
brief
moment.
We
had
not
yet
made
our
annual
family
trip
down
the
street
to
the
Christmas
tree
lot;
I
had
not
run
through
the
list
in
my
mind
of
what
gifts
the
children
would
find
under
our
tree
on
Christmas
morning
and
even
worse,
I
had
yet
to
crack
open
just
one
of
the
cookbooks
on
my
shelf
to
search
for
the
most
delicious-looking
meal
set
upon
the
most
beautifully
decorated
holiday
table.
Yes,
it
is
known
that
I
tend
to
run
a
bit
late
in
planning
and
organizing,
but
working
and
planning
for
this
year's
holiday
season
has
left
me
"up
to
my
eyeballs"
(thanks
Mary
K.
for
the
phrase)
with
so
many
things
to
do
to
prepare
for
the
"Big
Day."
To
help
simplify
things
a
bit,
I
decided
to
manage
the
expectations
I
place
on
myself
and
in
doing
so,
I
decided
to
make
a
few
adjustments
to
the
holiday
madness
that
seems
to
build
upon
itself
as
the
days
pass
until
"the
big
day"
arrives:
- order
as
much
as
I
can
online
(and
hope
it
gets
here
in
time!)
- send
out
holiday
cards
THE
WEEK
AFTER
Christmas;
I'll
have
more
time
to
find
and
include
my
kid's
school
pictures
from
the
past
two
years
in
the
outgoing
cards;
- pull
out
and
use
a
few
of
the
holiday
dishes
instead
of
the
whole
set;
- select
a
few
"make
ahead"
type
of
dishes
that
will
keep
for
a
day
until
time
for
reheating;
- make
a
donation
of
food
items
in
the
drop
box
right
at
the
grocery
store
rather
than
running
from
place
to
place
to
drop
off
donations
to
those
in
need.
And
if
things
and
events
of
the
season
begin
to
create
stress
or
havoc,
I
will
just
have
to
remind
others
and
myself
that
"I'm
just
a
grown
woman
doing
the
best
I
can!"
(thanks
for
a
great
one-liner,
Marilyn.)
Instead
of
giving
a
toy
in
a
drop
box
this
year,
I
hope
you
will
think
about
giving
food
items
to
your
area's
food
bank
at
selected
drop
off
locations
or
even
better,
placing
a
bag
of
food
items
in
the
box
at
your
favorite
grocery
store.
The
holidays
are
shiny
and
bright
for
many
of
us,
but
for
those
children
who
rely
on
meal
assistance
from
their
school
during
the
regular
session,
the
holiday
break
creates
a
problem
and
children
may
go
and
do
without
while
school
is
out.
The
food
banks
in
our
state
are
set
to
serve
those
in
need,
not
only
during
this
time
of
year,
but
also
during
times
of
disaster.
Without
a
wonderful
network
of
volunteers,
agency
partners,
and
donors/givers
such
as
us,
our
food
banks
could
not
operate
and
serve
those
most
in
need.
Our
featured
North
Carolinian
this
month
is
Jane
Cox,
president
and
CEO
of
the
Food
Bank
of
Eastern
and
Central
North
Carolina.
During
this
time
of
year,
Jane,
her
staff
and
a
volunteer
network
at
the
Food
Bank
provide
our
area's
neediest
with
much
needed
assistance.
For
your
reference,
I've
included
a
few
quick
links
:
Best
wishes
for
a
safe
and
happy
holiday
season.
Paula
Monahan
|
A
resident
of
Raleigh,
North
Carolina,
Paula
Monahan
is
a
past
President
of
the
American
Marketing
Association,
Triangle
Chapter.
With
over
fifteen
years
of
experience
in
sales
and
marketing,
Paula
is
putting
all
of
her
learned
skills
and
talents
to
good
use
in
this
online
publication
for
women.
As
a
way
of
reaching
out
and
connecting
with
women
from
a
variety
of
backgrounds,
her
goal
is
to
create
a
networked
community
of
online
women
readers
who
value
inspiring,
insightful
and
empowering
content.
