How to Prepare For A Simple Holiday Season
The calendar has turned over another page and we are officially into holiday season.
It is amazing how fast this year as moved but at the same time how eerily slow it feels. I saw online a funny meme about 2020; it went something like this:
Jan
Feb
Mar
Cold Mar
Hot Mar
Fall Mar
October
The holidays might mean a little more to each of this year so let’s talk all things holiday season prep.
GIFTS OR TIME?
Before gift giving and shopping are thrown in our faces, now is a great time to decide about your gift giving (& receiving) policy.
Are you going to exchange gifts?
If so, with who?
What is your total gift budget?
What are some gifts that you can give that won’t clutter up another’s home space?
Who are you not exchanging gifts with?
How will you communicate it?
If you participated in my No Present Policy Challenge last year, then you are familiar with my stand on gifts, especially holiday gifts. We opted out of giving and receiving gifts years ago. Are we Scrooges? Not at all!
I noticed that the cultural norm to pack the christmas tree with loads of gifts wore me out, stole the joy from the season, & added undue stress (financially & beyond). Coupled with the underlying realization that I was just gifting stuff that would be taking up another’s home space, I decided to opt out. Completely!
You might find yourself somewhere in the middle. Opting out of silly white elephant gift exchanges (you can still go to the parties w/o doing the gift bit!) but saying yes to those that matter most to you (like parents, kids, partners).
If I do decide on a gift, I trend towards the consumable type (wine, coffee, fancy face cream, massage, etc).
If you want me to put together a Simple Gift Guide, then leave a comment below!
I highly recommend creating a budget for your gifts and sticking to it. Be sure to include the gift extras, like wrapping paper, tissue, and all that other jazzy stuff that makes the gift pretty.
And if you are opting out, then come from a heart centered place and let the other person know that you won’t be participating this year in the gift exchange but that you look forward to the holiday party all the same. A little background helps frame the decision, but there is no need to overly explain. ;)
TRADITIONS
What traditions are you keeping
What traditions are you ditching
What traditions are you creating
I highly recommend doing this solo and THEN bringing in others to discuss your thoughts. Maybe while drinking hot apple cider and roasting marshmallows by the firepit.
Traditions that we intend to keep:
Turkey Trot 5K on Thanksgiving (even if we have to make it up this year)
Christmas Eve Service at church
Movie night each Saturday - holiday movies of course!
Decorating the house the weekend after Thanksgiving (although I might decorate earlier this year)
Traditions that we ditched:
Driving to the mountains to cut down a real christmas tree
Family meals on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas
Context: Raymond & I are plant-based so we eat at home (together) and then go visit family afterwards. This takes pressure off of them to make something we can eat, and it also allows us a chance to create a new tradition
Gifts (explained above) ;)
Black Friday shopping (no.thank.you)
Traditions that we want to create:
Hiking with my mom the day after Thanksgiving; Raymond usually plays golf
Going to the spa with my mom the week after Christmas
Taking off the week between Christmas & New Year
Volunteering with a local organization to give back
BANK ACCOUNT OF TIME
Time is sacred and it cannot be rolled over from one day to the next. This is your holiday reminder that your time is NOT unlimited. ;)
Now is the time to think about what you want to do with it (aka, how you want to spend it) and what you DON’T want to do with it.
This is really helpful when you think about what traditions you are creating/ditching/etc.
Are you going to cook all that holiday food? Are you going to say yes to all the holiday invitations and cookie swaps and ornament swaps?
Or are you going to be mindful and only say yes to those that really resonate?
When you don’t make assumptions about what others are thinking of your no, then it becomes MUCH easier to say no with a smile and move on.
BOUNDARIES AROUND PEOPLE
One revelation I’ve had this year is that I miss people. I miss family gatherings. I miss hugging. I miss local outdoor concerts. I miss yoga classes. I miss the social aspect of life.
h o w e v e r
That doesn’t mean that I want to spend all my time with all the people. Some people require boundaries; they are either too much for my energy field, or they suck my energy field dry, or they just plain get on my nerves with their behavior.
You may have one or two of those in your circle; decide now what size fence you will put up around yourself to protect your holiday vibe from those that dampened it.
While you don’t have to tell these people that you have them on boundary watch, you may want to prepare for a conversation should the need arise.
My favorite go to is, “I’m not available for that this year.”
“That” could mean a host of things:
Their comments about your weight/work/partner/kids/whatever
Their constant complaining
Anything political
Anything religious
Jokes directed at you
Take a deep breath in, do you feel ready to take on the holidays from a simple, sound, and joyful way?
