This year, be judicious about how you spend your time. A lot of our seasonal calendars fill up without a thought. By becoming conscious about how you use your time, you can have a simpler and happier Christmas season.
Choose How Busy You Want To Be
If you love the Christmas social scene, several events on a weekend may be just fine. However, consider how busy you would like to be. What do your weekends normally look like? Do you have small children or other family members who need to make sure that they do not overtax their energy? Decide on a number of events that is right for you. Yes, Christmas can be a busy time, but by keeping your schedule as normal as possible, the holidays will feel much more comfortable.
Choose Drop-In Events
As you choose your special holiday events, it’s nice to have some big days to build around. Perhaps that is a special Christmas play or Christmas Eve spent at church. However, if you’re trying to prevent the rushed feeling of the holidays, open-ended drop in events are best. If you don’t need to register in advance, you can drop by if you feel like it, when you feel like it.
Choose What You Attend
Talk to special out-of-town friends and relatives in November to see who will be visiting. That way, you keep surprise, drop-in visits to a minimum. Look at all of the Christmas events that happen throughout the season. What makes you and your family happy? Is it caroling? Making a gingerbread house? Going to the office party? Prioritize these events and build the rest of your schedule around them.
Be Prepared For the Unexpected
There’s nothing more stressful than having to plan a last-minute get together right before you leave for another Christmas event. Leave space in your schedule for friends to drop by unscheduled. Try to keep food and drinks on hand, or keep a potluck meal in your freezer. Also, feel free to say no!
Plan How You Want to Socialize
If your goal for the Christmas season is to see a lot of relatives and friends all at once, perhaps a Christmas open house is a perfect way to do this. But maybe you’d really like some quiet, contemplative time with an individual friend. If so, schedule a breakfast date instead of trying to fit all of your socializing into one afternoon. Christmas is about connecting with family and friends, but sometimes we need to consider how best to create our events so that we all end up feeling connected instead of rushed.
Spread Christmas Throughout the Year
Often, we think of Christmas as a time to get together with family and friends who we don’t see during the rest of the year. This is a lovely thing to do, but it also makes Christmas very busy. Spread Christmas through the rest of the year. Make a date to see an old friend in early November, or pledge to get together with another family member in the middle of January. Everyone connects, and everyone feels less stressed during the holiday season.
Build in Time to Recharge
Winter is meant to be a quiet, contemplative time of year. It’s an ideal time to curl up with a book in the dark, cozy evening. Build in some time to recharge. Perhaps this is the week after Christmas, or maybe you spread this out through the season. Whatever happens, try to create some space to celebrate yourself and think about the new year.
If you are feeling overwhelmed an depressed, make sure that you pause and think about how to unwind during the season. May your holidays be filled with family, friends, and restful times.
Source:
- UC Davis Medical Centre, Beat the Holiday Blues
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