5 Strategies for the Perfect Over 40 Holiday

The holidays are a fun time for all --- and if you’re over 40, then it’s going to be sort of different. The kids are now probably in their teens and don’t look up to midnight with the same wonder, you may be concerned how much work you’re missing over the break, or, you could be feeling your age.

What can you do? Well, the description of the “sad” holiday above is how a pessimistic person might view the holidays --- and you’re not that, aren’t you? Your kids are lovable sweet little angels, your family comes first before work and you’ve never felt better! Here’s how you can have that perfect little “over 40” holiday.

Savor Every Moment – It’s a cliché, but are you spending the holidays looking at old photo albums, or thinking about older holidays? Remembering is nice and all, but a wave of nostalgia actually holds us back from looking forward. The moment you wake up from sleep --- before moving, think how lucky you are to be awake at THAT moment. Be thankful. This makes each and every “over 40” holiday even more special.

Go All Out – I think I can trace this back from my upbringing. No matter the circumstance, we would celebrate the holidays the BIGGEST way possible. A humble dinner with all your favorite meals would be enough. It’s not about being extravagant --- people deserve what they earn. You are over 40 and CAN provide for your family --- why not go all out this holiday?

F.W.F.F. – Fun with Friends and Family. You are only as big as how big people think of you. Think about it --- you must’ve been nice for a reason. It’s the golden rule: do unto others … etc. Think about your long-lost friends, or family you hardly get to talk to. Give them a call, or leave a note on their social network wall. (Yes, I did just figure that one out … thanks to my kid!) Do you still even send out holiday cards? Write a personal note to someone you’ve lost touch with, build a little group for you and your friends in your favorite social network; organize an exchange gift. Treasure your beautiful family.

Give – There’s this new “emotion” that’s being called elevation --- which is a glowing feeling, resulting as a reaction from moral beauty. Nothing can be more beautiful than to be giving. Encourage/teach your kids the beauty of altruistic acts --- and they will teach the same to their children. Give back by donating to a charity, or, in as simple a way as leaving a little tip for your house help, or the garbage man.

Smile – Be kind. Be nice. You’re over 40! You made it! Enjoy the holidays, from my family to yours.

Over 40 and Online!

It’s no surprise that I still make online boo-boos. I just turned 43 this year, and have just learned about blogging. Aside from blogging, I’ve learned (with help from the children) what’s new on the internet. Now I’m not saying that the internet isn’t for people over 40, it’s just that email has been, for me, the pinnacle of the internet --- and that wasn’t even half of it, apparently.

Aside from my newfound blogging/email knowledge, with help from officemates and kids, I’ve discovered a whole wealth of great services and social tools that enrich my 43-year-old life’s online existence.

Budgeting
I admit my budget plan before has been pretty simple --- keep 10-20% of my income in the bank, save for at least 6 months’ worth of pay in the bank, and splurging whenever I find something that the family wants. I was pointed over to Buxfer --- a finance application over the web. It helps you keep track of your spending, plus, it even syncs up with your bank … online! Whenever you do transactions with your bank, it automatically updates your transaction list. You can even set it to send emails for bill reminders, or weekly finance updates.

Pictures
I’ve taken literally thousands of pictures over the last few years. My family has a love affair with the camera, and it looks like none of us are stopping at any point. Which is why we all have accounts on Multiply. My kid set it up so my contacts are family members, plus, we value the privacy options in keeping the content exclusive for sharing tender family moments.

Health
I’m not the perfect healthy being out there, but I’m not unhealthy either --- for that, the wife and I are updated on the newest development in health via Over40andFighting and WebMD. The former being my foremost source of discussion with people my age, while the latter, just an overall health information website.

Friendships
I’m just surprised at how Facebook works. It was a blast getting in touch with my mates from school, and how each one have families, or are living far, far away now. The class bully added me up to be my “friend.” This is as surreal as how my online social life’s going to get. For my close-knit buds though, we have a group page on 24Ever, and the cutesy interface just doesn’t get old in my eyes.

Videos
It was a big deal back in the 90’s when I had my officemate set up a meet on an IRC server on a specified channel to get in touch with my family. (Or whoever got the instructions back then) Now they have video on a site called Vimeo? Which is much more immediate than lugging around a camera, burning the footage on CD and sending it out to family, hoping that nothing bad happens on the trip.

Well, I think that’s my range for my online life over 40. I’m pretty sure that doesn’t even scratch the surface of what can be done online. Do you have any suggestions for what else I can do online? Kindly share a comment below to let me know.