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Your Guide to a Stress-Less Holiday Season
Three years ago, I was so calm and relaxed, you'd never have guessed it was
Christmas. I had a brand new baby, and we had just moved into a new house, but I
was grounded with an overwhelming sense of peace. Now that another holiday
season is bearing down on us, I think back to the reasons that time was so
magical.
That year, we simply went into our backyard and picked out a crooked little tree
that just screamed "Baby's First Christmas." I tied on some bows, and we invited
our closest friends and relatives to share some Friendship Tea, sugar cookies,
and prime rib (which my mother-in-law brought and prepared.) We opened gifts
that I had ordered online weeks before. (They arrived gift-wrapped.) It was a
low-cost Christmas spent in our unfurnished living room, but you would have been
hard-pressed to find a merrier place that year.
When we renew our focus on the holiday spirit, the stress of the season begins
to erode. This year, let us pledge to align our personal goals to reflect the
goal of the holiday season as it has existed for centuries: to center on our
spiritual awareness and connectedness in this spiritual time.
Simplify
When professional organizers urge us to simplify, they ask us to eliminate our
time-wasters. This year, let us find some time-wasters. Particularly during the
busy holiday season, we moms too often feel that if we aren't busy doing
something, we aren't being of value. In the upcoming days, consider the value of
just lounging on the couch with your kids, of playing a
board game with your son, of reading the
Christmas
Box or
The Story of Hanukkah aloud in the evening, or of simply sitting around for
awhile thinking about how lucky you are for the family and friends that are
yours.
Meanwhile, take a close look at your self-made holiday to-do's. Is it necessary
to bake enough goodies for the neighborhood, or are you okay with just whipping
up the occasional batch of Rice Krispie Treats? Do you want to travel to a
distant relative's house on Christmas Day or ask that they come to you? Keep in
mind that the mere fact that you've always done something isn't always a good
argument for continuing to do it.
Christmas cards
This year, narrow your Christmas card list. Make it more personal. Follow the
lead of
Mitten Strings for God author Katrina Kenison and make your annual Christmas
letter less about the accomplishments of your family members and more about the
ways you have all connected with one another over the past year.
Meanwhile, reframe the way you perceive the task. Think of it not as a tedious
chore that involves long hours of licking envelopes and signing your name, but
as a way to illustrate your love for your family and friends and to reconnect
with the people whom you may have contact with only once each year.
One last note: start early. That way, it's a relaxed process that only requires
you to jot a note or two in the evening as you sit with your family. Also
consider enlisting the help of your husband and the kids. Little ones love to
help moisten envelopes or draw pictures for relatives. If you run out of time -
or the motivation - to send cards, pick up the phone instead.
Christmas Gifts
Once again, the best way to circumvent stress is to start early. Consider buying
online. Many premier online retailers can save you time, energy, and cash, and
many of them offer a gift-matching service and gift-wrapping at no extra
charge.
For ideas, check out Momscape's "How
to Pick the Perfect Gift for Anyone on Your List," as well as "Gift
Shopping for Busy Moms."
Holiday Entertaining
Parties can be as laid-back or as lavish as you like. Don't underestimate the
power of a potluck. - guests love to feel like they're contributing to a meal.
No time to deep clean?
Speed clean and dim the lights. Keep a stash of things on hand for
latecomers or unannounced guests.
Volunteer
Helping someone in need can relieve holiday stress and help you ward off the
holiday blues that sometimes seep in this time of year.
Particularly during the holidays, opportunities abound. Just look in your local
paper. On the Internet, Volunteermatch
can set you up with an opportunity or idea with your specific skills in mind.
For more ideas, see "
How Moms Can Change the World."
Be good to yourself.
If you don't sit back and enjoy all of the fa-la-las, they'll be over before you
know it. Savor the season, and remember that you set the tone for your family.
If you're frenzied and frantic, your family will be too, and your children will
grow up thinking that's what the holidays are all about.
If you are feeling anxious this time of year, release your feelings into a
journal. Maintain, or start, an
exercise program to release those energy-boosting endorphins, and make sure
you're eating for energy.
Read "Nine
Simple Stress-Busters for Moms," and spend some time on yourself. Invite
your friends or your daughter's friends (or both) for an indulgent Spa Evening.
Prepare some
homemade facial scrubs and masks and let the stress of the season melt
away.
In the end, it's important to decide what the Christmas season means to you. I
know my favorite time of the season isn't opening gifts or filling goodie
baskets or attending office parties. It's that three minutes it takes on
Christmas Eve to sing "Silent Night" by candlelight. It's looking around to see
all of my family and friends with their faces lit up just enough that I can see
their eyes glisten. To me, that's Christmas.
What is it to you?
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Great Gift Ideas
Here, a collection of our best gift picks for all kinds of different occasions. Plus links to coupons and special offers from our favorite gift merchants.
The Very Best Gift Cards
Gift cards aren't created equal. Check out our favorite card options, which we plan to give this holiday season (and hope to get!) Plus, ideas on making gift cards more personal.
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