anchor.diff:  +++<u>Stay Home or Elope</u>+++
   My best advice for a calm holiday season is to escape. Create your own hideout or escape to a remote location with someone you feel %100 comfortable with; that person can be you. Once in your hideout, relax, let go, and be yourself. Now, explore the emotions you’ve been bottling up all year because you’ve been too busy to process them. Once that is done – explore the world & learn new things.
   
  -During those four important holi"days", both Christmas and New Year’s eves/days, don’t worry about where you should or could be, just be happy with where you are <u>now</u>. Have a lovely dinner and celebrate what you’re thankful for. Oh, and called your loved ones – you might be eloping but you’re still a decent loving person. Right?
  +During those four important holi"days", both Christmas and New Year’s eves/days, don’t worry about where you should or could be, just be happy with where you are <u>now</u>. Have a lovely dinner and celebrate what you’re thankful for. Oh, and call your loved ones – you might be eloping but you’re still a decent, loving person. Right?
   
   +++<u>Don't Over Schedule</u>+++
   Rushing sucks. We can't help but feel rushed during the holidays. So many things to get done, so many people around trying to complete their gift list. Plan only a few things and for the rest, just go with the flow. Do what you feel like doing, when you feel like doing it.
  
positive.code: 
  image::roxystefan.jpg#small[Holiday Selfie ZestyRoxy]
  
  For all four "big" days/evenings, we stayed home and cooked lovely meals together. We also spent 2 of our 10 days off days in Hamburg, our favourite German city. There we watched Rogue One at the http://www.savoy-filmtheater.de/ [Savoy Theatre]. This theatre is wonderful because it shows films in their original version, which can be hard to find in Germany. They also have Vegan popcorn - salty, sweet, and caramel! We walked around the beautiful city, peaked into shops, had treats at the Weihnachtsmarkt, and bought our favourite coffee at the http://www.speicherstadt-kaffee.de/[Speicherstadt Kaffeerösterei]. For dinner we ate delicious vegan pizza at http://www.pizza-bande.de/ [Pizza Bande] and Sushi at http://www.raw-like-sushi.de/en/ [Raw Like Sushi] (foodporn at the end of the post). The rest of the time was spent relaxing at home reading, napping, doing yoga, baking, or out with friends. Our biggest outing this holiday season was our friends' small and wonderful wedding.
  
  I have to be honest, it has been the most wonderful Christmas time since I stopped believing in Santa Claus. The past week was so calm, relaxing, and fulfilling. I had time to let go of work, find myself again, and do what I love. I even found new passions and interest; this only happens when my brain is calm. 
  
  
negative.code: Homemade Banana Bread
  
  +++<u>Declutter your Life</u>+++
  This one is a big one and might seem unacheivable, but you need to approach it a step at a time. You should start by gathering information through research and reading. The minimalists have many wonderful blog posts to help you http://www.theminimalists.com/start/[get started].
  
  I used to have a big house with 14 rooms, including 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 living rooms, a double-garage, a pool, lots of furniture, trinkets and useless decorations. Now, I live in a 1 bedroom apartment. There are only two of us after all and we don't need more space. We only keep the necessities and it feels like a big weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I can focus on what is important. This also means that welcoming guests isn't stressful because cleaning the entire place takes less than an hour a week! The lack of clutter will already remove half of the weight off your shoulders. To learn more about decluttering, read these fine articles: https://zenhabits.net/declutter-course/[The Minimalist Way to Declutter] and http://www.becomingminimalist.com/decluttering-principles/[10 Decluttering Principles to Help Anyone Clear the Clutter]. 
  
  == Final Words
  I realize some of the points mentioned above conflict with one another, but you don’t have to take every slice of advice. Adapt it and make it your own – you know yourself best! And please, stop worrying about what other will think or feel. Choose to do something for yourself. Something for you and the family members living in your home.
  