It's that time of year. I can't believe I am hearing it already: everyone is overwhelmed with everything they "have" to do for the holidays. There really is a lot to do. Some of us love every minute of it. And some people dread every minute of it. (And then there are the in-betweeners.) My husband learned early on that I am a Christmas fanatic, so he puts restrictions on me so that I don't start decorating the house with garland and lights too early in the year!
My own personal strategy for enjoying the holidays is planning. By this time, I have a plan in my head of what my responsibilities will be during the holidays, what responsibilities I will give Hubby, what needs to be done and when, and what could be done without. By the 1st of December, I write down a time frame in which to do things. I set aside realistic time frames and days to do various tasks. I usually end up taking extra days off of work in December in order to get everything done. (When my kids were smaller and hadn't started school yet, I would get a babysitter for an entire day so that I could get a ton of things done at once.)
I also don't break my neck trying to do too much. If I am an overachiever, I just end up miserable. This year, I haven't bought Christmas cards yet. And we haven't taken a family photo. So I am contemplating whether I need to get busy stressing about that, or just skip the cards this year. Or maybe I will be one of those people that gets around to sending them in January...
There are always things on the to-do list that are more fun or enjoyable than others. I usually use these as my motivators. Gift wrapping is one of my favorite things to do, but there are some other things that need to be done first, like digging out all the decorations and figuring out where to put everything. I will usually tell myself that if I spend 3 hours with decorations, I can take a "wrapping break". I motivate myself with what's most fun for me!
But the real secret to enjoying the holiday season: joy. As I prepare for Christmas, I think about the special people in my life. I think about gifts I will choose especially for them. I think about creating beautiful food for them to enjoy. I think about opening my home to friends and neighbors. I think about what I have been blessed with, and I am filled with joy. I think about why we celebrate Christmas, and the greatest Gift of all. And it makes me smile. All of it.
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