Sliding Into Winter

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November 2022 Organization Pending Newsroom Upper Arlington, Ohio

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Welcome to Organization Pending's Newsroom,

November 2022: Sliding Into Winter edition.

This month, we'll be focusing on ways to give usable and unique gifts and experiences for this holiday season, including an interview with community recommendation Dodo Expeditions, highlighting their services and top five recommendations for traveling throughout the year! Help slow down the season with the Tip of the Month, find creative ways to connect with Santa around town, and be sure to check out the seasonal recycling and decluttering resources!

Thank you for reading! Subscribe to receive the Newsroom in your email monthly, and follow Organization Pending's stories on Facebook and Instagram for daily news, events and organizing inspiration!

If you have an upcoming event, resource, or professional the community should know about, contact organizationpendingllc@gmail.com!

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Santa's Coming to...Upper Arlington!

Do you have someone in your life who celebrates the Santa Claus experience?

Create letters to Santa or holiday cards for family, friends, and neighbors at the Miller Park Library November 28-30.

Drop off your letter to Santa November 11-December 13 at Upper Arlington's Municipal Services Center near the Kenny Road parking lot, 3600 Tremont Road. Include your full name, complete address and unaffixed postage stamp to receive a reply!

Parents and caregivers--want to create a personalized response for Santa to send your child(ren)? The United States Postal Service offers special delivery through their North Pole Post Office, recommending letters be sent by December 10.

Looking for a chance to meet up with Santa? Sign up to see him on December 1 from 4-6pm at the Miller Park Library for their Home for the Holidays event! This free event includes face painting and take home crafts, and requires registration on their program calendar online, found under "Events & Programs" in the menu.

For pictures and more, stop by the Tremont Center in Upper Arlington on December 13 from 6-8pm for Christmas by the Clock! Carriage rides, caroling, cookies and cocoa are provided, and reindeer will be visiting from 1-8pm.

Looking for sensory-friendly holiday experiences? Register for the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium's alternate to their popular Wildlights display, Sensory-Friendly Light Stroll, or their Sensory-Friendly Santa Experience on November 15, 5:30-8:30pm. Both events require separate reservations. Admission for the Light Stroll is $16.99 for general guests, or free for Zoo members! Sensory kits for this event will be available at Guest Relations for a refundable $10 deposit. Admission to the Zoo is not required for the Santa Experience, and costs $5 per group.

Do you have a pet wanting to get in on the holiday fun? Enter them for a chance to be included in Upper Arlington Public Library's upcoming Puzzle Pets Holiday collection on jigsawplanet.com/uapubliclibrary. Fill out the Google form at uapl.me/puzzlepets by December 4, making sure your pet is the only star of the JPEG. Find this new collection starting December 9!

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Meaningful Gifts at a Slower Pace

Bring serenity to this busy time of year and add meaning to the gift giving process with usable and unique gifts and experiences for everyone on your list.

Do you struggle with what to buy individual members of a family? Consider buying a gift card for the family to enjoy an experience together, or a family admissions pass to one of their favorite local attractions.

The Center of Science and Industry (COSI) offers family memberships starting at $181.25, or individual plus guest memberships for ages 13 and up for $141.25.

Family membership for The Columbus Zoo starts at $124 online, with upgraded levels to include additional guests and Zoombezi Bay season passes. Tiered individual memberships are also available for the adult animal lovers in your life.

The Ohio History Connection offers unbeatable membership deals for individuals, couples and households with access to over 50 historic sites and museums across Ohio, including Columbus local attractions Ohio Village and Ohio History Center. Basic plans range from $45-$85, and for the ultimate history buff in your life, take a look at their premium option with special event access, reciprocal access to over 300 institutions in 40 states, and a Smithsonian magazine subscription.

Do you have art lovers in your life? Columbus Museum of Art and the Pizzuti Collection of the Columbus Museum of Art offers a family membership for $100, with individual and upgraded options to include more than 1,000 museums in North America. This option, available through the North American Reciprocal Museum (NARM) Association, also includes local attractions Wexner Center for the Arts at Ohio State University, the Ohio History Center and Ohio Village, and the Ohio Designer Craftsmen/Ohio Craft Museum.

For the people you're always trying to find more time for during the year, including the people you live with, consider planning a future event with them. Detail your idea in a card, with a gift card or cash for the future event.

For an immersive sensory art experience, Other World is a fun all ages adventure to plan.

For an adult friendly theatre experience, head over to Short North Stage to look at their upcoming shows, or consider gifting one of their various season subscriptions for discounted tickets throughout the year.

For the recurring gift of time throughout the year, take a look at the Community Recommendations in the Around Town: Restaurants and Food section--purchase a gift card to include with a "let's meet up!" card to set up two or more times throughout the year to be able to sit down, catch up with each other, and treat yourselves!

Do you have a gamer on the list? Many adults and kids enjoy playing games online with friends, or have their eye on an app they won't buy for themselves. This season, gift them a fun bonus experience within the game(s) by giving them a gift card to pay for special items, or an app store gift card for a new experience they wouldn't have otherwise.

Are tabletop games more their style? Head over to Dragon's Lair in Westerville to check out their large selection of new board games, role playing games, trading card games, graphic novels and more. Don't forget to take a look at their calendar of daily events while you're there to see if you could plan a get together to go along with the gift!

Looking for unique gifts to give the people that ended up on your extra good list this year? If you don't find what you're looking for in Dragon Lair's consignment area, Half Price Books is another one of our favorite locations for holiday browsing. Many customers familiar with their stores also know about their Rare Finds and Collectibles sections, featuring books, ephemera, comics, vinyl records and more. Browse their options for shipping from locations across the country, or stop in at their local stores. Available options are unique to each location and many stores feature cases for collectibles within the regular sections for specialty items like vinyl or comics.

During your next visit to the Upper Arlington Public Library, make sure to take a look in the glass cases at the various collectibles for sale as well. The perfect unique gift could be there.

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Gift an Experience of a Lifetime with Dodo Expeditions! :Community Recommendation Highlight

If you're looking for an experience based gift that is both usable and unique, consider gifting a trip to your partner, family, and other loved ones to create unforgettable memories together. We reached out to Community Recommendation Dodo Expeditions for family and adult vacation ideas, and to highlight this amazing service to save you time and money this holiday season.

Did you know travel agents are the hidden gems behind travel organization? After leaving her career in 2020 to focus on her family and teach her children during the pandemic, Owner and Travel Specialist of Dodo Expeditions, Nicole Mungur, wanted to step into a new path that would let her pursue her passions: traveling and helping others.

An avid traveler since babyhood, she's made many memories with her family in Myrtle Beach, remembering her first flight on Piedmont Airlines in 1987 to San Francisco from Cincinnati. A more recent milestone was her first international adventure in 2020--a 15 hour, non-stop flight to South Africa!

A chance to refocus her career allowed Mungur to start bringing her personal expertise and joy to fellow adventuring travelers in July 2022. Wanting to honor her Mauritian family, the Dodo Expeditions name was born, her young son the designer and creator of the business's logo. Photo credit: Dodo Expeditions.

"I went into this never having used a travel agent. I can't believe how much money I wasted by planning vacations on my own! I had the misunderstanding that using a specialist would cost more and not save money. We have the resources to find unpublished deals." -Nicole Mungur, Dodo Expeditions, Owner and Travel Specialist

Want to score a deal? Virgin Voyages is offering a $100 onboard credit when you book with Dodo Expeditions before the end of the year! Scroll through Dodo Expeditions' recent posts on Facebook to find additional exclusive deals and travel inspiration.

Curious about current trends? Mungur reports that since opening, the most requested bookings are for Disney World vacations and international travel to Mauritius, London and Amsterdam.

Need an easy choice? Check out Dodo Expeditions' top five choices for travelling throughout the year below, or email nicoledeannatravel@gmail.com for a personalized recommendation today!

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Left to Right: El Morro in San Juan, Puerto Rico. View from Bellagio onto the Las Vegas strip. Hermosa Beach, California. Photo credit: Dodo Expeditions.

Dodo Expeditions' Top 5

Need a place to start, or looking to set up a future trip? Check out Dodo Expeditions' top five recommended places to book throughout the year!

1. Caribbean, year-round. You will never find more amazing water or beaches practically in our backyard.

2. Puerto Rico, year-round. Same reason! There aren't "all inclusive" resorts in Puerto Rico because they want you to go out and truly experience the island, culture, and people.

3. Las Vegas, October-April (because 100 degree heat looks good on no one). I adore Vegas, yet I hate to gamble. My first trip to Vegas was in '03 and I've been at least six times since. It's absolutely over the top and exceeds expectations. I specifically love the live entertainment and the varied themes of the resorts.

4. Southern California, year-round. SoCal has absolutely everything! Wine country of Temecula, the snowy mountains of Big Bear, and the quintessential beach life with more than 100 named beaches, not the mention Hollywood and Disneyland. Just don't go into the Pacific without a wetsuit! It's cold year-round!

5. A Cruise, year-round. There are so many cruise lines these days that there is something for everyone. I'd suggest Princess Cruise Line for Alaska, Virgin Voyages for a more eco-friendly and adults-only experience, Royal Caribbean for families with teens, and Disney or Carnival for families with younger children.

Contact Dodo Expeditions:

Email: nicoledeannatravel@gmail.com Text: 513-519-8482

Facebook: nicoledeannatravel Browse travel options online

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Decorations, and Lights, and Trees.. oh, my! :Decorating and Recycling this Season

Decorating your house this year? All homes in Upper Arlington are invited to take part in Upper Arlington's Civic Association Alumni's Holiday House Decorating Contest. Category themes this year are: Clark Griswold, Anything Goes, Neat as a Pin, Best Overall, Best Entryway/Front Door, and Inside Out. Nominate yourself or your favorite local house starting November 28-December 9.

Are you already finding unusable holiday lights while decorating? Find a place to temporarily store them and add any others as the season progresses. Holiday lights require specific recycling services and can cause major issues if placed in blue recycling bins. The City is offering holiday light recycling after the holidays through January 31 at the Municipal Services Center, 3600 Tremont Road. These bins will be at the rear of the building near the food composting containers.

Getting a live tree this year? These can be picked up as part of your regular waste collection day after the holidays through January 30. The city asks that trees be unbagged and without decorations, and for trees eight feet or taller to be cut in half.

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The Reason for the Season: Giving Back While Decluttering

Many of us use the holiday season as a reason to declutter before intaking presents. This is especially true for children, who benefit the most from a yearly decluttering of toys they've grown out of or unattached to.

The Children's Advocacy Project hosts a list of local organizations that help children, teens and families with a variety of needs. Scroll through their list to find where your specific donations could find their best fit!

Did you just get through decluttering your household's books? Pass along these stories and knowledge freely to your community in Little Free Library kiosks! A location map is available online or through their app.

Do you have a variety of items for all ages and want to help your community anonymously? Consider the Columbus Blessing Boxes Project, 24/7 access to household goods, necessities, and other "blessings" located around the city.

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Tip of the Month

This year, emphasize the importance of slowing down and being able to separate essential work from "hobby work," as discussed on The 4 Kinds of Work, from the Organize 365® Podcast.

Why organize dolls and accessories by specific brand, when organizing by the category "dolls" would suffice, and make it easier for the child(ren) to put toys away? Why edge and vacuum underneath all the furniture weekly, when monthly with weekly touch ups of heavy use areas is enough? Why add to your workload with this extra hobby work, when that time could be spent on your unique purpose work?

Discover useful ways to divide and prioritize your time this season, creating more time throughout the year to focus on the work you do that uniquely adds to the world.

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Book of the Month

Tabi Berkey

Based on the classic Clement C. Moore poem, this special cut-paper edition of the The Night Before Christmas, ISBN 9780763634698, gives a different life to this often recited holiday favorite. The pages use a select few vibrant colors to add rich detail to silhouettes, with a two page pop up spread at the end. Enjoy over cups of hot cocoa, or as a before bed Christmas Eve read. Pack away with the decorations at the end of the season to add a special detail to your yearly celebrations.

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Company News

Organization Pending added 15 new resources to the Community Recommendations page on organizationpending.com in October. Find additional resources for decluttering and donation, a new local professional and an added moving professional.

A new section has also been added for LGBTQIA+ Resources and Community, including health resources, a local youth center, and social groups. If you know a Columbus or Ohio resource that should be on the list, contact organizationpendingllc@gmail.com.