Christmas is a complex holiday,
Packing in worship,
Family gatherings,
Food,
And gifts into only a few days of the year.
Unlike President's Day or Groundhog Day,
Christmas is arguably the holiday most associated with stress,
Anxiety,
And depression.
Here are 12 ways that I hope will be helpful to others looking to have a holly jolly Christmas,
Or at least a less stressful holiday.
1.
Making Time Many of us feel a great deal of pressure to make perfect memories within very limited and set time constraints.
Looking at the history of time itself,
We have the Gregorian calendar,
The Julian calendar,
Solar calendars,
Lunar calendars,
Leap year,
And adjustments in history when entire days,
Months,
And years were added or subtracted.
Celebrating the birthday of Christ as the holiest and most magical of days can have millions of people striving to impossibly create the perfect Christmas within a 24-hour time span.
Einstein theorized that time is relative.
History has shown that kings and emperors can add and subtract days and months when they wish.
And there is no universal agreement on whether or not we should use the sun or the moon to count our days.
By comparison,
Many of us do not celebrate our loved ones specifically on the day they were born.
We can be magical,
Loving,
And celebratory at any time.
Our good intentions and what is in our hearts will exist whether it is a Sunday,
A Wednesday,
Or a random day in March.
Celebrate Christmas in your own time.
2.
Working with family,
Friends,
And coworkers Anyone who has ever seen a holiday movie has most likely seen the Hollywood version of the perfect family.
We grow up learning that blood is thicker than water,
But for some,
Our blood relatives can actually be the very people who do us the most damage.
Likewise,
One relative can be the most loving individual we know.
The idea of family being extremely important during the holidays can be a great concept.
It is in our definition of family where we encounter so many problems.
We have the power to define family however we wish.
Our happiest family can be blood relatives,
But can also be the friends we choose to be our family and the animals and pets we love.
3.
Working with family,
Friends,
And coworkers The Dark Side In reality,
Many of us,
Due to our jobs,
Partners,
And cultures,
Have to spend part of the holidays with people we absolutely cannot stand.
In your mind,
Remove all the lights and decorations and look at each situation for what it is,
Even if it is a holy day for you.
Peace and love are celebrated during almost all religious holidays,
But remember to turn those ideals and goals toward yourself.
You do not need to be at peace with someone who is abusive,
And you do not need to love someone who has caused you pain.
Do your best to take care of yourself as you would want to,
Any other day of the year.
4.
Eat,
Drink,
And be merry For many,
Food and drink are excellent ways to relax and celebrate abundance.
For others,
The holidays present a caloric and alcoholic nightmare.
Whether you choose to delight in the offerings or moderate for your health,
There are two rules that almost always work—the rule of few and the rule of many.
If you are at a large family gathering,
Party,
Or work event,
There are too many people for anyone to notice,
Much less care,
How much or how little you are eating and drinking.
Do what is best for you and makes you the happiest.
The rule of few applies when you are with much smaller groups of people,
Where your eating and drinking choices are likely to be noticed and where you may be asked to explain the choices you make.
The answer is the same.
Take care of yourself.
Whether or not someone notices or comments on your choices,
Respect is key.
Others should respect your choices.
And if you have particular ways of eating and drinking during the holidays,
Please also respect the choices of others.
5.
Golden rings Some people can afford to purchase gifts during the holidays without worrying about the price tag.
But for many,
Christmas can be a true financial struggle.
Some can alleviate stress by saving early or opening a holiday savings account.
For others,
Especially those without a lot of children in their family,
Some of the best holidays can be spent with little spent.
A Child's Christmas in Wales,
How the Grinch Stole Christmas,
And even the movie with the famous lamp in the shape of a leg,
All talk about holidays with little money.
Many historical examples,
Including the original stories of the holidays themselves,
Had no money at all.
As for the 5 golden rings,
In reality gold is a very soft metal that is easily damaged.
What you bring to the holidays with your heart is much more durable and valuable.
6.
Silence is golden Mozart said the music is not in the notes,
But in the silence between.
It's hard to think about winter holidays without songs that,
In some places,
Are played on the radio starting the day after Halloween.
Music is an incredible way to celebrate anything,
From jubilation to peace.
Many people celebrate through the familiarity and repetition of the same songs every year.
This is a powerful way to cross great distances,
Connect through generations,
And establish lasting memories.
However,
Many people struggle with sensory situations during the holidays,
Including the noise of crowds and music.
Mozart made a very important point in his statement.
Only in silence can we appreciate music,
And only through music or noise can we appreciate silence.
Do what is best for you at any given time.
If you love rocking around the Christmas tree,
Go for it.
If you prefer the quiet after a snowfall,
Embrace that as your seasonal sound.
But like any discussion about stress and anxiety,
Taking moments here and there to find your quiet and reconnect with your own peace can be the key to reducing tension during the holidays.
7.
Unforgettable Memories Holiday movies,
Commercials,
And products generally encourage us to remember the good holidays that we have had in previous years and to cherish the memories of those with whom we spent those times.
Depression peaks during the winter holiday season.
The darkest days of the year are not only a reminder of the good holidays of years gone by,
But are also a reminder of the people that we no longer have with us,
Those who have left,
And what we may no longer have.
Loss,
Heartbreak,
And loneliness can be very painfully felt during the days of the years that our culture tells us should be the most perfect.
The contrast can be devastating.
If this is something that causes you to struggle,
Take care of yourself first using the coping tools you have and seek help when you need it.
If you are in a place where you would like to work on struggling less and feel able to,
Maybe consider what many of our winter holidays are – a celebration of something new,
A birth,
A beginning,
And a new year.
8.
Tis Better to Give Than Receive Kindness and charity towards others are some of the best sentiments during the holiday season.
Doing good in the world can raise your spirits and remind you of what your true meaning of the season is,
And those with less can have happier holidays through the giving actions of others.
Giving to ourselves is not often discussed as a goal for any holiday,
But if we do not give enough to ourselves to get through the holidays,
We can come to resent the holidays themselves and the people we spend them with as a result of exhausting ourselves through over-giving and self-neglect.
9.
All Together Now Whether you have a large circle of friends and family,
Or are solitary during the holidays,
It can be extremely difficult to navigate holiday crowds and traffic.
Shoppers fighting over the last sale item,
Road rage,
And children that just won't stop screaming can be overwhelming.
Headphones and earbuds,
Especially noise-canceling ones,
Can create your own bubble of silence or relaxing sounds while you are around large groups of people.
Timing can also be a game-changer.
Shopping at 4 p.
M.
Or 9 p.
M.
Instead of 10 a.
M.
And noon can drastically reduce the number of people you encounter.
Likewise,
Traveling at odd hours can help save you from cumbersome numbers of other travelers.
If you work under conditions in which you are surrounded by throngs of people,
Some suggestions for coping are repetition,
Adaptability,
And the one-minute rule.
If you can find a mantra that you can repeat during your shift,
You can help focus your mind inward,
Lessening the volume and pressure of the outer world.
Second,
Adaptability is a great holiday practice.
With massive numbers of people all operating under free will,
The possibilities at any given time are almost limitless.
Think hurricanes.
One tree in a hurricane has very little power to change the forces of nature around it.
The ones that fare the best are those that are capable of bending and moving with the storm.
Lastly,
The one-minute rule.
Humans are capable of withstanding almost anything for at least one minute.
Make it through the first minute,
Which will teach you that you can do it.
After that,
Take one minute at a time.
10.
Presents Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol nailed the layered nature of the holiday.
Time tends to get all wonky during Christmas,
Overlapping our past,
Present,
And future in our heads while we try to create perfection according to strict timelines.
Now can be a very valuable word during Christmas.
It can keep us from dwelling in the past and help keep us from worrying about the future.
And if we forget about the now during the holiday,
We are not very likely to find the holiday worthwhile or enjoyable at all.
11.
Magic Many of us try and make the holidays magical for our loved ones.
Perfect presents,
Romantic moments,
Exquisite meals,
And gorgeous decorations.
Many of us try and make holidays magical.
I do believe that we can create our own magic.
But I also feel that there is an immense amount of magic already in the world.
Whatever you try and create,
Years down the road you may find that the most magical moment you spent was playing a game with someone,
Just sitting next to the person you care about,
Or appreciating the limitless magic in nature.
12.
Love I believe every situation in the world can be improved with love.
The catch is knowing what kind of love.
Remember to love yourself this holiday season.
The love you share with others or put out into the universe will be richer if it first comes from a loving place.
