We know the holiday season is coming: we can see it around the bend, looming larger and larger as it approaches. These next few weeks are usually intense, like someone has turned up the dial on all the noise, all the expectations, all the “shoulds” in life. We can get carried away in the tide of all the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season. We hold the tension between the fun and merriment of these weeks along with the stress, exhaustion, and sometimes grief of this time.
What can we do NOW to ensure we are able to focus on the joy of the holidays and minimize the pressure, stress, and exhaustion of it all? How can we be more intentional with our time during the holidays? These suggestions help us:
Forget about balance.
Balance is a myth that keeps us from choosing our priorities, and chasing after it leads to restlessness. The myth of balance feeds the “have it all” promise that only results in burden.
Instead of aiming for balance, pick a word to guide you through the holiday season. We often do this at the start of the new year, but what about a word to guide your decisions in the next few weeks?
Think about what you want the tone and mood to be in your household this holiday season: Peaceful? Easy? Crafty? Together? Spiritual? Traditional? Quiet? Generous?
Pick one or two words and let them set your intention. Ultimately, your word will help you filter what you say Yes to and what you say No to. It will help you make the best decisions for your family.
Keep it simple.
Ask your family what they are most looking forward to in the weeks ahead. Their answers may surprise you! They may be excited about hot chocolate and Christmas movies, and not the big outings you plan. They might care more about driving through neighborhoods to see the lights instead of going to the Nutcracker.
And don’t forget to check in with yourself! I like to ask: What will I regret missing out on if it doesn’t happen this year? I know us personally, the answer is always making Christmas cookies and seeing the lights. That’s a non-negotiable top priority in our household!
Don’t overfill, don’t overkill.
Once you’ve determined your holiday priorities, you can make intentional and thoughtful decisions about what you put on the calendar (and what you leave off of it.) You can ditch the pressure of that December Holiday bucket list you got from Pinterest. 🙂 You can feel more confident about the choices you and your family make in the face of what you see everyone else doing on Instagram and in real life.
Quiet the noise
There’s no quicker path to envy and shame than being constantly bombarded by other people’s holidays. It’s easy to forget that other families have different needs, different values, different priorities. It’s too easy to believe we’re not measuring up when we scroll on our phones. That’s why the holidays are a great time to take a break from social media, to take those apps off of our phones. SIMPLIFY! There’s no better time to quiet the noise around us than the holidays, so we can be intentionally present with our loved ones in our actual lives.
We hope these help you during what can be a very chaotic season in the lives of many. Celebrate our Saviors birth because honestly nothing is more important than that. Merry Christmas from The Deich Team.
