This season of parties, decorating, shopping and racing around to get it all done is one of the most stressful times of the year. I’ve lived through many holidays and even published a book about Christmas, and I still feel overly anxious when December arrives. I have, however, learned a few things on the road to Bethlehem. Maybe my experience and insights can help you, too.
Watch out for traditions.
Traditions add so much to the holiday and often define the season itself. However, they can also be a roadblock to what should be a meaningful time of year.
Just because your mom always had 25 people over for a midnight Christmas Eve buffet doesn’t mean you have to.
Traditions can be bent and changed to suit your style and needs. They should add to your holiday, not take away from it. Traditions are meant to be enjoyed and looked forward to, not just tolerated with gritted teeth.
Examine yours and make adjustments if necessary. Those that go into the Christmas Past box can become memories. Before they cause the Holiday Blues.
Beware of perfection.
TV specials and magazines portray this as a happy, joyful time of year. For many, it isn’t. Be mindful of that with your family, your friends and yourself.
Our lives are not always storybook perfect. There are unhappy endings and broken dreams. There are divorces and family conflicts. Death certainly doesn’t take a holiday. There is a very real condition referred to as “celebration anxiety,” which brings on a mild melancholy that mostly affects women because we feel responsibility for the holiday. Our tendency to over-work, over-spend, over-eat, over-drink and generally over-do can lead to what the late humorist Erma Bombeck referred to as “terminal joy.”
Don’t abandon your exercise routine.
Keep it up. True, you may have to modify it a little because of time constraints. Acknowledge that and don’t feel guilty about it. A little bit is better than none.
Make a list.
Prioritize and list in order what you want to get done that day whether it is baking, writing out cards, whatever. Be reasonable in what you write down — keep it to five items.
- Let some daily tasks go. The world won’t go off its axis if your bed is unmade. Dishes can wait. Dust keeps.
- Attitude is critical. Don’t let little irritations get to you. Hang on to your sense of humor. Take a deep breath and count your blessings. Finally, take time for yourself, whatever that may be. Even if it’s just sitting and doing nothing. Take a nap. Put your feet up and pour a glass of your favorite wine.
This is the holiday season after all and trust me on this, you will come through it just fine, whether everything on your list gets done or not.
Holly Ebel is the author of the classic “Christmas in the Air.” She has a weekly food column in the Rochester Post-Bulletin.
Our model is Michelle Irene Jones @out_of_my_chell.
