You know how we never seem to have enough time for everything?  Well, we are giving you back your Saturday!  Don’t worry about getting a sitter or missing the two soccer games that morning. You’ve got the day back. Last week was a tough one for the Great Christmas Event, as economic conditions proved too challenging for attendees and exhibitors alike, and we had to make the tough decision to cancel the October 18th event.
We are so grateful to everyone who supported the event and who spread the word to their friends and coworkers.  Thank you!

We will provide some content from the workshop online, and will be in touch with that information in the very near future.  And, please register to receive the 7-Step Action Plan for a Great Christmas, email updates, and join the holiday conversation on my blog.

The Great Christmas Event 2008 is the day for you: a chance to collect your thoughts and get ready for the best holiday season yet. The workshop will take place on October 18, 2008, 9:00 a.m. ‘til 2:30 p.m. at Spazio’s Westport, 12031 Lackland Road St. Louis, Missouri. 

Presented by two working moms who’ve “been there, done that,” the Great Christmas Event will help you not only survive but enjoy the holidays with your mind, heart and soul intact.  Maria Rodgers O’Rourke, speaker, columnist and author of Prepare Your Heart for a Great Christmas, will share her reflections on the reason for the season, and how God is working in our hearts and actions during the hectic Christmas days.  Julie Hood, the “Information Organizer” and author of The Organized Writer, will lead us in her tried and true organizational secrets to take the stress out of holiday preparations.

The Great Christmas Event will be a delightful mix of activities, spiritual reflection and delicious food catered by Russo’s! There will be music, trivia, great giveaways, and select exhibitors with fabulous gift ideas.

Here’s what the workshop includes -

Part I: ENVISION your perfect holiday season. Spend some time reflecting with Maria on what a “Great Christmas” really means for you and your family.

Part II: CREATE your plans and schedule.  We’ll walk you step-by-step through Julie’s Christmas Strategies and Action Plans so you can create a customized plan for a Great Christmas.

Part III: you will work out what to GIVE this year, in spirit, in charity, in time and in gifts. We’ll also have terrific exhibitors on hand with gift ideas.

The keys to a great Christmas season are inspiration and organization:  inspiration to reconnect with the mystery and joy of Christmas; and organization to pull together all that needs to get done.  At the Great Christmas Event, everyone will leave the workshop filled with the Christmas spirit and motivated with a plan for a great holiday season!

Hurry!  Tickets are selling fast.  Great savings on tickets through October 10th.  Visit www.GreatChristmasEvent.com for more information, or call 1-877-528-0636.

We’re at half time!  During July we’ll cross the halfway mark on the calendar year countdown to Christmas Day 2008.  Most women I mention this to respond by saying, “OH!  I can’t think about that right now!”  When they hear the word “Christmas,” the first thought is not of the joy of the season but of the work involved to pull it off!

My friend and colleague Julie Hood has some excellent tips (below) on how to get a jump start on all those tasks.  Before you dive in, take a few deep breaths and remember last year–what worked well, what would you do differently, what’s something new you’d like to happen this year?  Once you have a clearer vision for Christmas in place, you can choose the tasks that will make that vision a reality.  Don’t let this wonderful season sneak up on you again this year!

From Julie – When is the best time to get organized for Christmas? Right now! Here are a few of favorite things to start now in the lazy days of summer (Remember how frantic it gets in the fall when all the kids activities kick in? Let’s do some of this stuff now so we can have a peaceful holiday season this year.)

Start thinking about where you will spend the holidays.  Will you be traveling? If you will be flying, set up travel alerts now to shop for the best airfare. I use Travelocity.

Will you be hosting? What home improvements do you you need to start now? Do you need to clean out or spruce up your guest room?

Get some gift lists going (and start setting aside your budget).  Now is a great time to start looking for ideas. Why? Because all the stores are clearing out their inventory to make room for the holiday items so you can really get some bargains, especially at Toys R Us and Current Catalog.You can even start setting aside a few dollars each paycheck for the Christmas Fund. Then you won’t have giant credit card bills in January!

Will you send a Christmas newsletter this year? If so, spend 15 minutes jotting down the big events for the first half of the year… or consider going digital. We’re sending an electronic newsletter this year so we can share more photos.

One last thing… Make sure you mark October 18th on your calendar for the Great Christmas Event 2008.  We have a wonderful day of fun, laughter and inspiration planned for you.  And order your tickets before September 1st to save half price!

Want to save even more?  Get a free ticket as a Table Captain.

See you then!

Maria and Julie

Today’s St. Louis Post Dispatch includes Maria’s op-ed column to help you answer your kids’ questions about Santa.

There’s a delightful article in this month’s Java Journal on preparing your heart for a great Christmas!  Written by Maria, it features a couple of holiday horror stories freely told by her friends Renee and Julie.  Take a look and see if you don’t recognize a Christmas Past of yours in the article!

The sun is shining on a warm sunny day here in St. Louis as I type these words.  The forecast, though, calls for rain, a drop in temperatures and snow as we head into Thanksgiving Day! The weather provides a vibrant metaphor for what many of us are feeling these days. Wherever you go, people are saying they cannot believe the holidays are here!  How quickly the time goes!  With a day’s time we’ll travel from beautiful late summer to bitter cold winter.  As swiftly as the weather changes, so will we be plunged into the holiday rush. My friends, I am right there with you!  Beginning on Thanksgiving Day, my blog will go “live” with daily entries.  I’ll include short excerpts from Prepare Your Heart for a Great Christmas plus new reflections on the season.  As we journey along toward a Great Christmas, please post your comments, ideas and struggles to create a happy holiday season.  Post ‘em and we’ll all benefit!  Register for email updates to receive the message daily in your inbox. 

Catch you on Thursday!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Kathie Sutin’s delightful guide to holiday gift list trimming published in the St. Louis Post Dispatch features Maria Rodgers O’Rourke’s suggestions for giving from the heart.  Read the article here.

The Advent weeks of preparation for Christmas are hectic, and the hustle and bustle distracts us from the true spirit of the season.  The stress can transform us from “wise man” to “grinch” before we know it!

But in the midst of this activity, peace and calm are available.  In just minutes a day, you can calm your heart and fill it with the Christmas spirit. Prepare Your Heart for A Great Christmas celebrates our loving God who is with us in all we do.  Through scripture, stories, gratitude and intention, the daily reflections recall Jesus’ instruction to “accept the Kingdom of God like a little child,” (Mark 10:13-16).  With the trust of a child, we welcome God anew into the manger of our hearts at Christmastime.  Daily quiet time will enhance the Advent season, and help us deeply discover the holy possibilities of Christmas.

Prepare Your Heart for a Great Christmas and keep the Christmas spirit all through the holidays! The holidays come with romantic ideas of evenings by the fire, reading special Christmas books, baking cookies, singing carols, and exchanging gifts while snowflakes gently fall outside the window. These ideal Christmas scenes don’t often match the reality of what it takes to create them, and mom is usually the one responsible for getting it all done.

This book is for perfect for all women who want to prepare for December 25th in the true Christmas spirit, and not only survive the holidays but enjoy them-with her mind, heart and soul intact!

You will discover:

• Peace in your heart throughout your busy days;
• Gratitude for the simple blessings in your life;
• Joy in rediscovering the anticipation of Christmas;
• Love for yourself, your family and everyone you touch;
• Insights to carry the spirit of Christmas into the New Year.

During the holiday season, already busy lives are loaded with more tasks, parties, special services at church, gifts to buy, folks to remember, etc. Prepare Your Heart for a Great Christmas combines unique reflections with real life, using daily prayer and to-do lists to inspire your heart and ease your mind. Through daily prayer, gratitude and intention, these demands are met with greater peace and humor. When entrusted to God, the challenges of daily life come into proper perspective.

Advent (with a capital “A”) means the time in preparation for Christmas. In addition to this, advent means coming into vision, time or being. Our efforts will bring into being wonderful Christmas and holiday celebrations. By holding these efforts in the context of gratitude and prayer, we will experience greater peace throughout the season. Our joy and gratitude will spread to those around us. Thus, both Advent and advent preparations are essential for you and those you love.

Give yourself the gift of a great Christmas by taking quiet time every day. The spirit of Christmas is alive and ready to fill your life with joy and blessings. Follow this book’s simple formula and prepare your heart for a great Christmas.