Weight-gain, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, anxiety, stress, sadness, depression, intra-family conflict, financial strife.
Yes, the holidays are here again!
The Christmas decorations have been out in Wal-Mart for over a month already. But it seems like after Halloween, time suddenly warps and accelerates. We’re sucked into a vortex of madness. And then spit out into the mid-January cold feeling exhausted and depleted and broke.
What worked well for you last year during the holidays? More important, what didn’t work? Did you spend too much? Eat too much? Drink too much? Did the office party leave you feeling empty and resentful again? Did you fight with your sister-in-law at the family dinner? Did you accept one too many invitations? Did you max out all the credit cards? Did you cook for hours only to have no one really notice or appreciate it? Did you rush around frantically trying to get it all done without enjoying any of it?
Here’s the scoop: If it didn’t work last year, you get to do it differently this year. You can make it the way you really want it to be, even if other folks may be offended or bent out of shape. You get to choose. You really do.
Just because its always been done in a certain way, doesn’t mean that it needs to be done that way again. And in case you haven’t noticed yet, there are no awards or medals handed out for spending yourself on the altar of societal expectation or being bullied into doing what you perceive others think you ought to do yet again. Especially if it doesn’t work for you. Especially if it doesn’t bring you joy.
The definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over expecting different results. This year, avoid insanity.
Here’s the pill that cures it all: say no.
Happy holidays!
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yup. Sometimes we need permission to do things differently. Imagine that. Thank you for permission.
I will be doing things a bit differently this year, without a congregation to care for. That will be strange… and, maybe, nice. I have felt, from time to time, the stress of being the Broker of Other’s Happiness. We become very territorial about our holiday traditions and that leaves little room for change or – dare I say- improvement.
One year, in response to my revulsion at consumer spending, We decided not to give any gifts. That was a sad year. The impulse to give is joyful and in the end, I felt punished by my own decree. Now, I try to give more thoughtfully. Last year I bought all my gifts at the Junk SHop and Antuque Stores trying to re-cycle gems from the past: a crystal dish, old bone china, a beautiful paperweight, estate jewlery. It made me happy but left some of my gift recipients scratching their heads.
Mostly, I love the cooking and food traditions and love tat my kids have locked into those, too: fish chowder on Christmas eve, a big formal breakfast on Christmas day, etc. As a cook, that makes me happy.
Thanks for keeping us thinking, Walt and, now, giving us time to map out the holiday time when there is still time.
I so love this time of year and yet it is so easy to get sucked down that frenzied rabbit hole. The challenge always is to listen to the heart and not to the chatter. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.