The holidays are on their way. Does that warm your heart or start it racing?
Every year the stores start reminding us a little bit earlier. I remember the days when they waited until after Thanksgiving. Then they held off until after Halloween. Next year maybe we can get through the Fourth of July before they start their nagging. But we don’t have to let their schedule dictate our stress. Just as you get to choose how you live in your space, you also get to choose how to live through the holidays.
I love the magic of Christmas. As a child, I loved the anticipation of the beauty my mom created with decorating. I loved going under the tree and touching and counting how many gifts that had my name on them. And then organizing and reorganizing them to fit under the tree (yes, I have always enjoyed organizing things). As a parent creating that same feeling for my children was just as much of a joy as receiving the lovingly selected gifts. I am fairly new at this Grandparent gig but I still love to create magic wherever I can. But no matter what stage of life I am in I have longed for balance and simplicity even during the high-pressure Season.
Before we go any further, true confession, I haven’t always got this right. It is a struggle for me to remember that I don’t have to buy everything on everyone’s list. I don’t have to say yes to every party. I can even skip holiday cookie baking if I am not feeling it. Even though I haven’t always gotten it right I have been able to pick up a few helpful hints. Here are a few of the hints that I have collected over the years to help me hold onto the Magic and leave behind the feeling of stress and exhaustion.
Hint 1: Choose your own adventure. Yep, just like the books, I give you permission (and encourage you) to create your own schedule. Decide as a family what level of traditions and festivities will leave you all feeling celebratory and stick with it. Don’t let your party going take away from your memory-making. Set your intentions for the seasons and measure all your choices through these intentions.
I have adopted the four-gift rule that I read about in Meg Nordmann’s book Have Yourself a Minimalist Christmas.
Something you want
Something you need
Something you wear and
Something to read
Hint 3: Put it on your calendar. When at all possible, get the dates for all your festivities on your calendar. Schedule time for baking and any party prep you need. Remember to schedule some REST. We all need downtime, and it is easy to let the excitement of it all take over. Our bodies and our minds will thank you if you spend some time doing nothing, I promise.
This is also a good time to evaluate your tradition. Is there a tradition that is no longer adding to your holiday cheer? Is there a new tradition you would like to try (without any obligation to keep it going)? Life is always changing, and different stages call for different responses. Keep that in mind when planning.
We started the tradition of Christmas Adam when our kids were young. We found that we were racing from one family celebration to the next. Our kids were often hungry and tired and not as grateful for the lovingly selected gifts as we visualized. We were spending a lot of time reminding them to say, “thank you” and trying to talk them into having a happy heart when really all they wanted to do was play with that one toy or even take a nap. By the time it came for us to fit in our own family celebration we were all frustrated, tired and I was often in tears.
So, the day before Christmas Eve became our guarded Family Tradition. Once we created this time for us our Greene Family Christmas Eve became less hectic. Our Dahl Family Christmas day more cozy. The kids had the energy to be grateful with out the prompting. Each celebration became a time that we could enjoy instead of anticipating the next event. And I was able to concentrate on creating the magic that I craved and therefore enjoyed much more of the holidays.
Now that my kids are grown and have their own children, we have handed off Christmas Adam. We get to create a new tradition that includes the next generation. What a wonderful thing!!!!
Hint 4: Prep your home by decluttering. This is not the time to take on a whole house reboot. Focus on the areas that will be most affected by the season.
Kids rooms: Collect a box for donations, keepsakes, and a bag for garbage. You can also grab a laundry basket for dirty clothes and a bin for items that will go into another location (either in the house or back to the owner). I like to start to the left of the entry into the room and work my way around the room sorting as I go. Get the kids involved in picking out the toys they are ready to share with other kids. It is ok to pass on any toys that have not been played within 3-6 months. Even if they were gifts. A gift isn’t a gift if it is kept out of obligation.
Kitchen: This may be a time of year that you do a bit more cooking and baking than usual. I know it is for me. Take a minute to evaluate what you put on your list previously and arrange it accordingly. Some people like to set up a Hot Cocoa station. Prep and streamline so that your space works for all the extras you will be asking of it during the holidays.
Living room: Do a big declutter here. Put away anything that is not going to add to what you will bring in for the big holiday living room makeover. Take the time to donate or toss any of the items you don’t see bringing back into the space. Do any space planning that you will need to make room for the Christmas Tree. Remember to leave room for what will be going under the tree as well. This is a good time to do an extra dust for all the horizontal surfaces, vacuum all your soft surfaces and shine anything that needs shining.
The main thing to stay your merriest through the holidays is to be intentional. In order to be intentional you may have to do a little bit of planning in the beginning. But when the New Year is here, and you are looking back over the holiday season the hope is that any stress or frustration was minimal and all that you remember are the warm memories and cozy moments.