23 Nov Turn December Chaos to Calm
We’ve got Thanksgiving under our belts … literally … and now we turn our attention to Christmas preparations. Ahhh … ‘tis the season to relax with loved ones, enjoy the lights and sounds of the seasons and the kitchen filled with delicious smells while laughter and merriment abound and Christmas music plays joyfully in the background.
Sounds like your typical Holiday Season, doesn’t it? Well, maybe for Norman Rockwell.
It seems that from Thanksgiving through the end of the year, everything goes into high gear and what should be an enjoyable season becomes very stressful instead. If you’re like me, you think to yourself, “This isn’t how I imagined the holidays. Each year, I say it’s not going to be like this, and each year it ends up exactly the same way: Chaos wrapped up with a bow!”
Well, I say “Take the Bow by the Horns,” or something like that. It doesn’t have to be chaotic. Have a different Holiday Season this year! Following are suggestions to counter the chaos.
- Limit your commitments. You don’t have to say “Yes” to every holiday party invitation that comes your way. Be choosy. In fact, choose yourself, choose your loved ones, instead of choosing the obligation of the season.
- Limit your traditions to just a few this year. They are wonderful, but not if they bring stress — that negates the whole point of traditions, which are supposed to be meaningful and happy memories.
- Be a minimalist when decorating this year. You’ll still have the spirit of the season, but with less work. (A hint for those of you who will have your house on the market this season. Don’t decorate until after the photographer comes, or your MLS photos will be “dated.”)
- Limit the pressure you put on yourself. You don’t have to be Martha Stewart in gift-giving, gift-wrapping, meal cooking, or meal presentation. Your loved ones don’t care about that, they care about you and the time you have to spend with them.
- Buy the latest Fun Family Game to play with friends and family. It’s a simple, affordable, and memorable way to relax and enjoy the season, and it usually includes laughter, which is a bonus! Some of our family favorites are: Would You Rather, Apples to Apples, PicWits, Bubble Talk, Spoons, Guesstures, Cranium, Dutch Blitz, Uno, and the good-old-fashioned jigsaw puzzle.
Now you can enjoy this season for all the right reasons, because your December is calm.
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