Simplified Christmastime – Part 1
Christmastime doesn’t have to be harried and stressful. You can choose a few low-key traditions and enjoy the holiday even better than before. Christmas should be a happy time for you, your family and good friends.
An excellent idea is to plan events around the things you feel you want or need to do for the holidays. Most people choose to shop, decorate, make a meal, and some also bake. All these things can be simplified in a way that enhances your enjoyment. You might, for example, choose a day to do holiday baking with your best friend. Put on Christmas music while you bake and talk. Sharing work with others can make it fun. If it’s only you doing it, and it feels like work to you, don’t feel you need to do it. The world will not come tumbling down if you don’t make rum balls that everyone eats but no one will help you bake. If they want them, pull out the recipe for them and let them make it.
You can, if you like, make it a tradition that your whole family goes shopping on a certain day. Many people shop the day after Thanksgiving, then have a nice dinner and perhaps go to the movies. Mixing fun with work makes holiday chores feel better. All holiday tasks are made easier by making them the enjoyable part of your holiday celebrations, so rethink how you can do these things so that they are fun.
Choose a date for your holiday decorating. If it can’t be done in a day, it may be too much. Don’t do it alone; make it a family event or invite friends. For many, the day to decorate is the day after Thanksgiving.
Ask yourself, if you were to choose only three ways to decorate, what would they be? I would suggest one of those things be something you find welcoming as you come home. This may be holiday lights. How might you use one or two strings of lights or one item to make you feel really good coming home? This is how you simplify your decorating. Find the things you notice most, a focus in on those.
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