Tips to Having Less Stress This Holiday Season
The Bloom doesn’t compete, it doesn’t care, it is simply beautiful.
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and now we are officially into the Holiday Season. The classic Christmas song by Andy Williams, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” is a favorite of mine. However, I’m not sure it’s true for many of us. It’s the most busy time of the year would be more accurate. It can be the season of joy, but with it comes the chaos, too long to-do lists, and frazzled nerves and bodies.
Especially during this time, we need to nurture our souls by taking a cue from nature. As the leaves fall and the days shorten, nature goes into its winter hibernation. Instead of being in rhythm with the seasons, we do the opposite. Shopping, wrapping, decorating, cooking, shopping, attending or hosting parties, and did I say shopping? All of these are great, but can take a toll, and many of us are so tired by the time Christmas Day arrives that we aren’t our best. A too long to-do list and frazzled nerves can make the Holiday’s anything but wonderful. And if you’re like me, you want everything to be perfect - from that perfect gift to the perfect table setting. I have to remind myself that perfection isn’t the goal here. It is to show love to each other, and not only each other, but ourselves as well.
To do this, we need to take the time to nourish our souls by taking extra care to leave some time for ourselves to just breathe and reflect on what this season is truly about - which is love, joy and peace. But if you’re thinking, How can I possibly slow down right now? My days are so full and I don’t have any time for anything else.
I get you! I too have this problem every year, but being mindful of what is really important helps. So this is also a reminder to myself. I just hope we will take some of the advice below and use it to help free up some stress and give us time to enjoy this “wonderful” time of year.
A few suggestions for you…
Make a shopping list at the beginning of the season. Christmas isn’t about gifts, even though culture tells us it is. Family gatherings are what really matter, so don’t stress about gifts. You could even decide to draw names to cut your gift giving way down, or even pick a charity and give to that instead. However, most of us will be buying gifts this season, so here are a few tips that I’ve learned over the years: Santa’s list is good advice for us all. Make it early (hopefully, you have already gotten started) and then pick your favorite way of shopping - for me it’s online. I like to do as much of it as possible at once to get it done, but I do not like to shop - not even for myself. But if you find the crowds, lines and traffic exciting for you, then by all means, do that, but go early and get as much as you can all in one setting for less stress. To do this will make you feel so much ahead and will free you to do the other things without worrying if grandma’s gift is under the tree yet. (side-tip — grandma may enjoy a note that says you are going to bring her lunch or dinner one day in January to spend some quality time with her, rather than a pair of bedroom shoes. Just saying.).
Designate a time for wrapping and have supplies organized. Wrapping can be fun, but also frustrating if you don’t have everything together. At the beginning of the season, gather everything you will need to wrap and put them in a bin. I also recommend getting one of the tape dispensers that you can use hands free. (Another side-tip —- you don’t need two inches of tape to tape a place on a package. One half inch piece to go in several places around the package will work just as well. ) Set aside a time and grab your bin and a helper or two if possible and have a wrapping party. I usually do this several times during the season, but it’s much better than procrastinating or wrapping only one or two things at a time every day.
Don’t go overboard with decorating. (Unless you really want to.) I have to throw that last part in there because I have friends who find this joyful. I do not. If you don’t want to spend hours decorating your house inside and out, only to take down in a few weeks, yet still want a festive looking home, here are some things that will make a huge difference: Lighting - add a string of lights inside. Besides your Christmas tree, add some more string lights around. Either on a wall, mantle or even around a huge plant. Really, anywhere that will add some ambience. Candles are also great to add this time of year. If you don’t want real ones because of pets or little ones, get the battery operated kind. They can add so much. I used to drag out so many (knick-knacks and watch them collect dust until I took them down. They did not bring joy into my life for sure. So now, I simply don’t put them out. Think of your family’s needs. Obviously, if you have small children you will decorate differently than someone who is an empty nester. To me, more isn’t always better. My point in this is to not feel pressured to put out decorations that don’t bring you or your family joy just for the sake of tradition, or dare I say, social media. By adding special touches here and there, and only putting out things you truly love, will nurture your soul and make that dreaded “take it all down” day much more pleasant.
Say no to joyless activities (within reason.) I’ve always said, sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to do because of others. I truly believe this. It’s not always just about me and what I want. So, if it means the world to your mom, to continue a tradition of going shopping together on December 5th, I say do it, or at least compromise and come up with something you will both enjoy. But if you are invited to a neighborhood party and would rather not go for whatever reason, don’t go. Chances are by next month, they won’t remember if you were there or not. So pick and choose what you want to do, and don’t feel pressured to take part in things you don’t.
Get “take out” if that works better for you. I love to cook, so this one doesn’t apply to me, but if cooking stresses you out, don’t do it. Pick up something, or if you’re hosting, have everyone bring something or have it catered.
I realize that many of you already know and do the suggestions above, but if you get one thing out of this, let it be this —
Be mindful of those things that bring you joy at Christmas and do those. Don’t worry about all the things that you feel pressured to do for traditions sake. Weigh all options and do what works for you and your family, and remember to not strive for perfection but peace, joy and love. Your body and your soul will thank you.
Sending my best,
Connie
