Beating
Holiday Stress
Making the Best of Your Holidays By Theresa Kirchhoff Mamatogians… Are you ready? Set? Holiday! Agendas are growing, malls are crowding, and traffic is congested. Whether your wallet is too empty or your calendar too full, the joys of the holiday season are among us… and getting there is the best part. For many, the holidays are a stressful time. Stressors vary within each family and each individual. Maybe you are affected by the pressure to meet expectations, find the perfect gifts, cook the greatest meals, attend all of the social events, and find the time to make it all happen. Possibly the financial aspect weighs heavily on you. Maybe it’s the emptiness that comes with a holiday after the loss of a loved one. Loneliness can peak around the holidays. Whatever it is, there are ways to make the holidays a truly joyful time of year. Pause and take a look around. The simplest things are often the most significant. For me, the look, the smell, and the sound of the holidays throughout the season bring me back to what it’s all about. Notice the excited children, the merry faces of our wonderful community, as well as the look of a beautiful holiday display in a downtown Saratoga store window. The sound of holiday songs—especially the old ones—warm my heart, taking me back to my childhood. I love seeing my daughter enjoy the classic holiday TV specials, the same ones I so fondly remember sharing alongside my brother in our PJs. Surely you can think of a moment, maybe when you were a child, where the thrill of the season affected you. If not, create your own. It can be as simple as sitting at home,
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cozied up with a holiday candle burning, sipping hot cocoa, while listening to holiday music, watching holiday classics, or flipping through a shopping catalog. Fill your senses with the joys of the season. Decorating together, making cookies, holiday arts & crafts… there are so many little ways to create cherished memories with your family. It doesn’t have to be the picture perfect Norman Rockwell holiday activity—just enjoy the simple things. Those little moments are what your children will remember, and ultimately cherish. Organize and plan. Start early. Once Halloween passes, I focus on the holidays. I like to have the bulk of my shopping done by Thanksgiving. It usually never works out that way, but the goal is set and it’s a lot better than panicking when December hits and holiday events leave less time for shopping. First, I make my lists. I work from the outside in, meaning I save the closest of family for last… so I can enjoy it and focus with less distraction. I take care of neighbors, teachers, charities, co-workers, Secret Santa obligations, etc. Then I move inward toward my best of friends and family saving the best for last: my child. I personally like to head out to the stores for much of my shopping, rather than do it all on the computer. Before I go out to shop, I’ll gather some ideas. Once I find my gift idea, I hop online and compare the price of the item between stores, you can even check to see if they have it in stock. Then, I’m off to enjoy the holiday shopping chaos with my plan. Entering the stores with my holiday flavored coffee, I tackle a few people per week. Organized? Yes. Always successful? Nope. The idea here is to plan out the who, the what, and the where, before you head out. This is to avoid that overwhelmed, lost, and totally blank expression while
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12/5/12 8:33 AM