Ahhh, the holidays. While we fantasize about this season as a warm and rejuvenating time -- the truth is the end of year can be overwhelmingly busy and so packed with pressure that we aren’t able to enjoy ourselves.
With visions of sugar plums dancing in our heads (thanks to the lights and music pumping through stores and holiday fairs, and everyone’s social media posts), we can caught up in trying to live up to the hallmark vision of the holiday season. We can get so stressed over buying the perfect presents, being the perfect host, and cooking the perfect meal that we can’t wait for the holidays to be over.
Remember the goal of the holidays--to have some breathing space to relax, reflect, and make quality connections with family and friends. When we’re busy tracking calendars and cooking meals, and organizing stuff, we can lose sight of that and slip into the habit of doing instead of being.
This year, I challenge you to try something different. Put presence over perfection. Put quality of days over quantity of activity.
Instead of trying to do everything perfectly, or everything at all, take a step back and define a small handful of activities that really make the holidays special for you. That might even be sitting curled up reading a book for hours, all by yourself, or taking time to write small notes to the people in your life who you are most grateful for. Perhaps you want to take the quiet of the holidays to set some broad goals or intentions for next year.
For any shared holiday festivities, talk to your family and friends about ways to streamline the expectations and share the workload. Everyone will appreciate the release of pressure. The act of preparing together will bring you closer, and spending the time with less stress leaves more time for bonding. Which is really what the holidays are all about.