With just a few days left until Christmas, many of you are probably stressed out. But you don’t have to be. This year I have not gotten too much into the Christmas spirit because of my situation trying to get back into my house. (Yes, I’m still waiting on the gas inspector). I have been doing so much running back and forth and waiting for this one and that one, I feel like Scrooge. As I write this blog, I have two guys at my house installing new windows. It’s very noisy and they are going to be here for about three hours (I have 13 windows in my house. The large one in the living room had to be special ordered because the windows are made “funny“.) I don’t even want to think about Christmas.
You can actually find peace during the often stressful holiday season by remembering a few key points. Columnist Hap LeCrone, who writes for Cox News Service, offers his advice on how to enjoy the holidays. He outlines them in his five-step plan to finding peace.
Perfectionism- we have to decide in advance that we’re not going to allow this cancer to ruin our holidays. If we aim for perfection and then end up disappointed our holidays will be less than bright and cheery.
Expectations- don’t set them too high. If you do and things don’t go quite as planned you will feel let down, disappointment and consider your holiday events a failure.
Accept- that you will probably have some funny moments- a burnt turkey, the dog eating the fresh baked pie- it happens. When these humorous moments happen (he calls them “Griswold” moments) accept them, have a good laugh and move on.
Control- If you are a control freak, LeCrone says give it up, at least during the holiday season. Don’t worry too much about schedules, family traditions, etc. Instead, “go with the flow.”
Finally, curb your excessive spending. Don’t go broke or run up a huge credit card bill trying to buy expensive gifts. The same goes for holiday decorations, don’t go overboard.
As you can see, if you follow these few basic rules you can have a happy, stress-free holiday.
See also:
Aging Parents and Holiday Stress: Create Moments of Joy
Six Ways to Beat Holiday Stress