When did the holidays turn into a time to survive?
My inbox and feeds are being bombarded with strategies for surviving this time of year. That leads me to believe that we are doing something incredibly wrong.
Our guts are screaming, It’s too much! but our brains are on overdrive trying to cram as much in as possible. Cram. It. In. There. Must. Be. More. Room. In our stomachs, in our spending, under our tree, in our schedules.
I caught myself doing it this week. Making lists, planning menus, and somewhat resenting the running around, waiting in line, and competitive parking that is sure to take up a lot of my time over the next week.
But then I reminded myself that I have a choice. I willingly participate and none of these obstacles in front of me that I’m trying to navigate like an American Ninja are required. Not a single one.
And just like every other year, I find myself resisting the pull to put it on auto-pilot and bang out a list of things just because.
I have to, you say. They expect this. They expect that. We always do this. It wouldn’t feel like Christmas without it.
Or would it?
Here’s the thing. Traditions are good. Especially traditions that bring us together, that make us laugh, that connect us to the people we love.
But traditions that suck the life out of us, leave us frazzled, frustrated and tapped, those are traditions that we can let go.
That can quietly slip into the realm of Christmas past.
Chances are you’re one of the few people holding on so tightly to this so-called tradition. And if it means enough to someone else, let them steer the freakin’ sleigh.
My Christmas wish is that people stop racing around parking lots like this is their last day on earth. And if this was your last day on earth, would you choose to spend it in a strip mall? I didn’t think so.
Cut out the frenzy for the sake of frenzy.
There is a significant difference between the experience of joy, exuberance, and radiant hope and the manic intensity of plowing down a list.
Presents, stockings, dinner, appetizers, drinks, dessert, breakfast, cookies, cookies, cookies, wrapping paper, ribbon, tape, tissue paper, garland, ornaments, lights, extension cords, cards, stamps, post office, packing tape, boxes, post office.
On and on it goes.
At some point, you just have to stop.
So why not make that point today or tomorrow or sometime really, really soon?
Give yourself a deadline, a point in time, where you will simply say enough is enough.
Gather your loved ones around you, make room in your inn, clear the way for a celebration of a humble birth that brings great gifts.
And let the rest go. You will survive. Promise.
When Kaly doesn’t have her nose in a book, she wrangles and referees two elementary age boys and blogs about her humorous efforts to lead a mindful, connected life. She’s the author of Good Move: Strategy and Advice for Your Family’s Relocation a book about the craziness of moving with kids. Her writing has been featured on sites such as Mamalode, The Mid, In The Powder Room, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and Scary Mommy to name a few. You can find her on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.
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