If you work in an office setting, chances are the annual holiday bash is rapidly approaching. It’s a time to let your hair down, relax a bit with the people you spend more time with than your family, and see whether the big bosses can take the legendarily lethal punch the folks in accounts receivable make.

If you don’t work in an office setting, chances are you still have at least one good friend or family member who considers the winter holiday season a darn good excuse to throw a big bash. It’s a time to catch up with those people you only see at these parties, nibble from the annual cheese ball, and see who succumbs to the lethal punch the host makes.

I well remember my parents’ annual Christmas do. The decorations, the careful choosing of which music to play in what order, the platters of fabulous food… and my fathers’ lethal eggnog which I swear could induce alcohol poisoning from six feet away.

I’ve been to a lot of parties for a lot of holidays over the years, and the one thing that seems absolutely guaranteed at each of them is seriously free-flowing liquor. Either there’s a single punch that will begin impairing your ability to pass a sobriety test before you even begin to drink it, or there’s a bewildering variety  of adult beverages and a genial host urging you to try a bit of everything.

How to get through the season with your driving record clean and your social network intact? Thinking just a bit beforehand can be just the ticket to keep you from disaster.

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Summertime and the living is easy… er… sorry. I love Porgy and Bess. But it is summertime and that means we need to be extra thoughtful about our skin. After all, we don’t want to burn and we don’t want to develop skin cancer. That would not be superfantastic by any means.

So remember:

Use your sunscreen, but be sure to leave a patch somewhere for your body to absorb Vitamin D from the best possible source: good old Sol.

Hydrate yourself regularly with cool, delicious drinks, preferably with tiny umbrellas.

Get into the shade now and again…

… by any means necessary.

Oh, and consider this the perfect opportunity to invest in a really fabulous hat.

…as Francesca does, here is a little reminder to the Single Ladies and to all the Big Girls that there are, indeed, men out there who love us for our bodies AND our minds and hearts. (Not that having men be attracted to us makes us any more or less “valid” as people or as productive members of society, but it is nice to know.)

Warning: the column may have some emotional triggers for many readers.

To kick off 2010, Francesca reminds you to take certain life-saving measures (and directs you to designer shoes on sale at terrific prices):

Always wear your seat belt, whether you are in your own car, or in a friend’s, or in a taxi.

Make a fire evacuation plan with your family. Make sure everyone in your house knows where all the exits are, and decide now on a rendezvous point outside. When you have sleepover guests, show them all the exits, too.

Burn prevention tip: If you have small children, put down tape on the floor a few feet around the stove, and make a rule that they may never cross the tape.

Tell your spouse/parents/medical proxy that if anything should happen to you, you want to donate your organs to save someone else. Signing a donor card is nice, but ultimately the decision will rest with those who love you. Don’t leave them with the burden of wondering what you would have wanted!

Have a safe and life-affirming 2010!

With Christmas just a few days away, Francesca reminds you:

You can control only yourself, no one else.  Do your part and let the rest go.

Keep your eyes on the prize. In this case, the prize is love, peace and joy among you and anyone you encounter on the holiday. Nothing is as important as these things, not even the turkey burning or your inability to find a Zhu Zhu hamster or whether you finish polishing the silver before your mother comes. (Do not be this person’s brother.)

Do what you need to be fully “present.” A nap or a hot bath might do more to make Christmas meaningful than last-minute tinsel. And if you are the guest in someone’s home, offer to vacuum or chop vegetables or load the dishwasher.

Reach out. If you are spending Christmas alone and don’t want to be, make some calls or emails now, and make arrangements with others (such as your internet friends?) to get together at your house or at a restaurant. Just popping some popcorn, and a movie into the DVD player, will be nice if you have company.

Eat as much of whatever you want this Christmas. You are a grownup person, and a beautiful one at that.

Give yourself and others lots of hugs!

xoxo!

We are all so busy getting ready for Christmas, but it is important to remember to take care of ourselves!

1- Remember to perform a breast self-exam

2- Buy new toothbrushes for everyone’s stocking stuffers, including your own. Toothbrushes should be replaced every 3-4 months.  (Francesca thought it was once a month.  She will start reminding about this less often.)

3- Call your primary care doctor and make an appointment for after Christmas for a checkup!

4- If you wear glasses, is it time to see if you need a new prescription? Make an appointment for after Christmas with your optician or opthamologist, whoever is in charge of these things in your health-care system.

Happy and healthy holidays! xoxo

This weekend, Francesca reminds you to:

Perform a breast self-exam.

Test your fire alarms.

Replace your toothbrush.

Rotate your mattress.

Happy weekend. xoxo