3 Ideas to Beat the Holiday Blues in Iowa

We are all prone to a bit of stress or of feeling depressed during the holiday season. When it happens to me, these three tricks can sometimes help kick the blues.

1. Instead of fighting gloom, I reach back for a childhood memory and the remote: An afternoon doing nothing but watching classic TV specials never gets old. Rudolph, The Grinch, even that dumb Frosty the Snowman. Add popcorn, enjoy.

2. If that's not enough I grab for the holiday movies. Nothing beats the old black and white classics, along with the next generation like Elf, Home Alone, and The Santa Clause.

3. Next, go live! The Paramount Theatre is the place to be this time of year with live holiday entertainment.

This year is no exception, with Orchestra Iowa bringing back the annual favorite "The Nutcracker" on Saturday December 1 for two performances.

Next up on December 5 is A Magical Cirque Christmas. 

December 15 brings the Paramount's schedule full circle with the return of Orchestra Iowa's Holiday Spectacular.

Also back again this year, thanks to Massage Heights for giving 104.5 KDAT the opportunity to bring you the "Stress-Free Holiday Spectacular" - a fun holiday gift package that includes:

• A free massage and facial at either Massage Heights locations (Cedar Rapids and Coralville).
• Two free tickets to Orchestra Iowa's Holiday Spectacular - Saturday, December 15 for the 2:30 p.m. performance.
• Kathy's Pies Gift Card