The Trickiest Holiday Party of the Season... the office party

The holidays are undoubtedly in full swing which means so are some of the seasons most awaited festive parties; the holiday office party (no matter how obligatory it may be) being among the many. This particular holiday celebration is somewhat of a time for employers to reward their team/staff members successes, and for collaboration between fellow colleagues while looking forward to the year to come... yet its somehow easily forgotten that this event is absolutely NOT the setting to be the life of the party! Over indulgence and undesirable behavior wont be forgotten once the party commences… The cardinal rule is to remember that no matter how festive the occasion, it's still about business.

So before you head out to mix and mingle  throwing caution to wind or ladies letting your hair down here a few words of wisdom to help you navigate the the potentially dangerous festive waters:

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RSVP

Aways rsvp within in 3 days and if you suddenly find out you are unable to attend be sure to give ample notice.

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Dress Code

Dress appropriately for the occasion- find out the dress code for the party and follow it and don’t forget… its business. My suggestion is keep your guard up when deciding on what to wear and stay away from anything that is too short, too tight, too revealing, too casual or that simply looks untidy.

Be on Tme

Never show up early and don’t waltz in 30 mins late. Andn’t be the last employee to leave.

Make Proper Intros

If you are bringing a date or spouse to the holiday party, be sure you are properly introducing him or her to your bosses and colleagues

Limit Your Liquor

Open bar should never be interpreted as an open invitation get to totally smashed… limit your liquor, especially if you’re known to not be the best at handling it… behavior included!

More so, don’t over consume…anything. Whether its food, alcohol or people, its important to enjoy all aspects of the party in moderation.

Dancing

Just because you can get-low does NOT mean you should… especially considering you’re on the office party dance floor, wouldn’t want that picture to fail the two fridge test now would you leading to potentially damaging cyber remorse…

Put Your Phone Away

In our always-on society being mindful of your smartphone use is crucial (practice smartphone etiquette) A holiday event filled with partygoers instagramming, tweeting and just plain virtually sharing just about everything, its plain rude! Memorialize it later or when you’re not in the company of those who deserve your attention far more than your followers and potential likers!

Don’t Talk Shop

Or gossip or talk politics- No matter who you’re talking to keep the conversation light, you and the people around you are there to enjoy themselves.

Know Who to Thank

The planner often times gets overlooked and a simple thank you showing your appreciation can go a long way.   

Moral of the story is, share the spirit sensibly. Follow the above suggestions to avoid falling off the fast track to success or risk damaging your professional reputation in this one night

of potential inadvertent blunders. And once again, remember the cardinal rule that no matter how festive the occasion, it's still about business.

Christmas Movie Classics: Updated

Only 12 days until Christmas which means you're cutting it close if you haven't finished your shopping, but plenty of time to still cozy up to some classic Christmas flicks!  ABC's 25 Days of Christmas is offering us its holiday best on the daily from now until Santa comes to town, so grab your cozy Christmas socks, champagne & candy canes and check  the usual Christmas movie classics (yes, Bad Santa and  Elf included) off your list! Some of my fondest holiday childhood memories were spent curled up watching Christmas tv programming; there is just something about these seasonal treasures that just warms my heart! Since there are too many to make a top 5 or even a top 10 list - I will just share a general list of my classic faves (recently updated). A fair forewarning though... my movie list includes films for the revelers and humbugs... Something for everyone this year! 

 Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer (1964)

Most Christmas specials are about caring and giving and reflecting on uplifting spirit... Bumbles the Abominable Snow Man and Rudolph's unsightly red nose in this 1964 classic do everything but... only somehow I just love it and am delighted to see it rerun year after year.  

 The Sound of Music

Admittedly, I'm not sure how this makes my xmas roundup, but I somehow never pass up the chance to indulge in 3 hours of Julie Andrew and dreamy Christopher Plummer.

 The Apartment

Not a classic Christmas movie you may say... think again! The rendezvous in Jack Lemmons apartment primarily take place between Christmas Eve to New Years Eve... don't believe me check it out for yourself... And almost an all time fave movie (period!)

 Gremlins

Is it weird that I always wanted my very own Mogwai? I mean as a kid of course... what better to teach a child responsibility than a pet right?! and to think I would have only need to follow 3 simple rules... wait what were they again... 

 Home Alone

Everything I need to know I learned from Home Alone, ha! An instant classic!

It's A Wonderful Life 

This is a new movie to my holiday watch list. A movie brought into my life by my husbands family. George Bailey and the town of Bedford Falls bring all the feels! 

Every time a bell rings an angels get its wings... 

 A Christmas Story

You'll shoot your eye out kid! Need I say more...

 Scrooged

While there are a ton of spin offs of from Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol" none as brilliant and funny as Scrooged... I feel like this one is often forgotten, but I have to say its a holiday must!

 Elf

 The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear

 Christmas Vacation

Always guaranteed to make me almost spit out my eggnog

 Bad Santa

Guess what Kid, Santa doesn't care what you want for Christmas.

 How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Such a great spin on the Dr S timeless classic!

 The Nightmare Before Christmas

Jack "The Pumpkin King" Skellington creates the ultimate holiday mash-up by kidnapping santi-claaaws, from his coffin sled to terrifying toys the Nightmare Before Christmas has it all!

 Jack Frost

Try not to cry with this one...

Gifts That Give Back

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The holidays are just around the corner as the second week of December comes to a close. The temperatures here in Los Angeles are still abnormally high and we continue to face the devastation of spreading wildfires so in effort to remain positive and do our best to get in the Holiday spirit what better that putting together a gift guide that gives back!  Who doesn’t love to not only give a gift that gives back, but receive one as well! From humanitarian organizations to non-profits giving back to those in need – this season of giving I'm helping you find the perfect gifts that gives beyond the one person its intended for!   

LULAS GARDEN

 Lula’s Garden proudly supports organizations that help improve lives around the world by providing access to safe water.

LUSH CHARITY POT

With every purchase of Charity Pot, LUSH donates 100% of the price (minus the taxes) to small grassroots organizations working in the areas of environmental conservation, animal welfare and human rights.

LOVE YOUR MELON

If you don't already know about the beautiful souls behind Love Your Melon than I am glad to make you aware! Love Your Melon is an apparel brand dedicated to giving a hat to every child battling cancer in America as well as supporting nonprofit organizations who lead the fight against pediatric cancer. Tis the season stay warm and this organization does it right! 

THE STARLING PROJECT

The Startling Projects fragrant soy candles help provide solar energy to under-resourced countries across the globe, granting needy communities access to electricity, clean water, safety, health, education, and more!

FOUND MY ANIMAL 

And last but not least for that animal love in your life FOUND MY ANIMAL supports animal adoption and donates profits from colorful rope and leather collars, harnesses, and other pet accessories to animal rescue organizations around the country! 

5 Things Not to Miss at Disneyland's 60th Anniversary

They say its your birthday, well its my birthday too yeah! No, not really it not my birthday however it is the 60th anniversary of none other than the happiest place on earth, Disneyland! 60 years of magic and counting and this is Disneyland's Diamond Anniversary! Its been said Diamonds and Disneyland... I think I'm in heaven and couldn't be more excited to spend this weekend there! I'm am sure there are much more surprises in store which I can only imagine, but lets take a look at what we know is in store... 

DIAMOND ANNIVERSARY CAKE POP

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As if any Disney cake pop wasn’t cute enough, Disney’s culinary cast members really pulled out all the stops when it come celebratory treats! I am looking forward to diamond adorned cake pop in my very near future!  

PAINT THE NIGHT PARADE

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 This is the new parade that is basically the next generation of the Main Street Electrical Parade which is really synonymous with my youth! Ok maybe not synonymous but deff some true nostalgia brought on when even thinking about it!

WORLD OF COLOR

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World of Color is still an experience I’ve yet to check off my list and plan to do so this weekend! This is a special edition of World of Color for the 60th Anniversary that will skew heavily towards Walt Disney-era films, which I know all about and with Mickey Mouse as the host who could miss this!

DIAMOND FROSTED ATTRACTIONS

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Diamond frosted anything, yes please! But Sleeping Bautys Castle frosted with diamonds and sparkles, dreams do come true! Not only is the castle decked out but Carthay Circle Theater at Disney California Adventure Park is adorned with some serious bling!

DISNEYLAND FOREVER

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A street to sky experience certainly means fireworks are in store! This can been seen from both the park and the resort and I’m sure will dazzle my night! This is the new fireworks show that will be the successor to ‘Remember… Dreams Come True’, and will be another show rooted in nostalgia by Steve Davison, “utilizing the whole park as a stage.” (source)

5 Ways To Follow Through on Your Goals: June Goals

I was right! Meeting my May goals would be a challenge... I didn't do so hot and I will come out and say it! While my water intake increased significantly, my DC consumption was still a culprit... However I finished another book tried out 2 new recipes and am hydrating right, so some progress is progress right?! Tracking your goals monthly is a great way to set small (or large) attainable milestones and I believe it also keeps you conscious of your actions day in and day out. Some of the goals I have been setting for myself recently will ideally become habit/second nature in the near future, but until that becomes the case I know it is important for me to continue setting them. As Aristotle is quoted saying "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence therefore is not an act, but a habit." Its always important to forgive yourself if you fail, and while I don't want to attach the thought of failure to my May goals there is certainly room for improvement in June! This month I have taken on the 21 Day Challenge that will in success change my eating habits moving forward. I am excited about creating weekly action plans that combine both fitness and nutrition and even more excited to share results down the line. So for the month of June I am doing something different with my goals and here are 5 ways I plan help myself follow through with my goals.

DIVIDE AND CONQUER

Divide your goals into a set of small achievable steps. Maybe this is weekly, maybe this is daily. Do what makes them digestible and what makes achieving them work for you! 

PUT  FEAR IN ITS PLACE

There will be scary moments when failure seems eminent and reaching your goals may seem impossible. In these cases Nike says Just Do It! So just do it anyway no matter how scary it may seem. 

EXPECT SETBACKS

Setback are a part of any process, but not the end of it. If you begin with the end in mind and know setbacks are inevitable you can plan to rededicate yourself to each goal after any setbacks that cross your path. 

LEARN Along the way... 

Do what works for you! If something isn't working try a new approach. Unexpected challenges are opportunities to learn new skills. 

SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS

With any goal accountability is key. Tell someone who matters to you, write about it, blog about it, tweet about it! Pledge to make your goals a reality!