Holiday Frizzle
In the U.S., after Thanksgiving up to New Year’s Day, seems to be labeled “Holiday Season”.
Definition of season: A period of the year marked by certain conditions, activities, etc. or a period of the year immediately before and after a special holiday or occasion.
Each family, individual, business, company and city have a choice in what they consider the “Season”.
I hear discussions on the “Season”. Most people want less of a Christmas or holiday season. The spirit fizzles down by the time Christmas or New Year’s arrives. So does the body and brain energy.
If your employer regulates what the “Season” is, you don’t really have a choice. When you’re assigned the job of decorating for Christmas two weeks before Thanksgiving, you do it. When your job is piping in holiday music into the stores, offices, town centers, etc., you don’t really have a choice. Or if you’re trying to get donations for a non-profit organization, the “Season” is an important time to get the last tax-deductible dollars before the new year.
A family can get side-tracked by the “Season”. I remember my husband standing in line, before midnight, with my son, waiting to buy a Nintendo Game Player. When manufacturers make a product difficult to purchase, the stakes are high. Remember when products like Tickle Me Elmo and Cabbage Patch Dolls were not available way before Christmas? It can make people wanting to find the perfect gift panic when it isn’t available.
The rush to get everything done before the twenty-fifth of December is manic!
What do individuals consider perfect before the new year arrives? This list is manic!
Decorating inside and out
Shopping for immediate and extended family gifts
Shopping for employer-colleague gifts
Shopping for food, ingredients and extras for the holiday
Making special foods for the holidays
Wrapping, shipping and delivering gifts
Keeping traditions alive whether the family or group wants to or not
Keeping the Santa Claus-mystery alive for young ones
Writing and mailing Christmas cards
Traveling “Home” for Christmas
Attending school music programs
Attending employee parties
Making sure not to miss sport tournaments
Making lists, losing them and remaking them
Checking available funds and using credit cards when money isn’t there
Shopping for something to wear
Getting a doctor’s appointment for illness
Packing for travel
I love making memories. But, they aren’t always predictable. If we are forcing a memory for a loved one perhaps it won't be the memory we were shooting for.
If making the gingerbread house is not what a five-year-old wants to do (when the nose is running and the child is exhausted), then let it go.
If you aren’t able to get the perfect picture of your son singing in his school program, let it go.
If you don’t have money to buy everything on your child’s Santa-list, let it go.
If you haven’t been able to bake ten dozen Christmas cookies, let it go.
There will always be another season. Maybe your child would rather you read to them on your lap. Maybe your wife would rather have less gifts and more money in the bank account for bills.
Maybe you need to pace yourself and prioritize. Do you have to go to all the Christmas parties? Maybe getting a massage or getting in your walk gives you more energy for your family and yourself.
I’ve joined the manic population in my own way. I forget there are only so many days to get things accomplished. I've rewritten lists and thrown out the old ones.
I am proud of myself for letting a few things go this year. I’m not traveling over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house. I’m not overspending for food and gifts. I’m not worried if my Christmas cards aren’t sent out on time. I choose my charities ahead of time and let go of the guilt from saying, “No”.
We could ask our children and families what their favorite memory is of the season. We might be surprised it’s not the gift they received. One or two traditions are enough each year.
I like to make lists but the “Season” list above is overwhelming! Take time to let your shoulders drop down. Stay in the office bathroom a few more minutes to close your eyes and relax. Let the emails and phone messages go for a few hours each day. Your most valuable gift is yourself. No one else can give it, buy it or be it - not ever.
May your holidays be special. Feliz Navidad!
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