There are, to my mind, three kinds of Holiday celebrations: C-stressful, with weeks of angst and harried preparation, lots of forgotten things or things that just didn’t work out, blunders, regrets and not much time for celebration, B – family bustle that takes a bunch of effort but is worth it to have all the family together in one place for the memories and the blackmail material, and A – those holiday seasons where everything gets done by December 22 and everyone can relax, do things at a normal pace, and just enjoy each other fully, being present in each moment and a present to each other.
Now I know that A seems like a Unicorn, a mythological thing that no one every actually sees or experiences by is written large in those stories that are supposed to give us hope. But it does happen. It’s not just some faery story. You can have that kind of Holiday as well. It doesn’t take the efforts of Hercules or NASA level planning of all events, just mindfulness and willingness to let go of perfection and expectations.
If your mind prioritizes the ‘getting things done’ part of the Holidays over the ‘experiencing’ part of the holidays then that is where you will spend all of your time and effort. Because there will always be one more thing you can do to make it all ‘perfect’ for everyone…but you, of course. Because the holidays isn’t about you, right? LOL But if you turn that around 180..if you make the experience of the Holidays the priority, if you put you on the priority list and your happiness as part of the mix, then things come into a happier perspective. The have to list gets shorter, the need for that one more thing goes away, and a smile can come back sooner and without the need for a hot toddy starting at about 6am. 🙂
Be the holiday you want to have. Start from the feeling you want and work out from there. Even if it is just you this holiday season, you are the reason for the season so make your plans accordingly. Santa’s helpers can shop for themselves because who knows you better than you? Be original, be spontaneous, be a kid again, because the holidays is all about play and joy and fun. Do what you want because you are worth it and chuck the rest. Don’t have the holiday that gets graded as a C, get at least a B if not an A and have a wonderful Holiday season.
