Less Holiday Stress, More Holiday Turkey.
It’s that time of year again… you can feel it in the air, on the street, in the car, on the road and certainly in the shopping centres and malls.
“Making a List” – yep, done.
Frantically rush to finish the multiple projects at work that absolutely MUST BE COMPLETED before the holiday break, ferry the kids around to multiple and seemingly endless end-of-school concerts and sporting activities, begin delicate negotiations with extended family members regarding holiday get togethers, start the thought processes involving presents for moody teenagers, confirm with elderly parents and eccentric uncles that you will pick them up and take them home again on the agreed day of lunch, etc, and so on.
“Checking it twice” – oh yes, forgot a few things…
Sick children need to go to the doctors, hang on a moment, we can fit the appointments in here, but can’t do it then because the car needs servicing, field calls from the in-laws who have another suggestion for holiday get togethers and as politely as possible suggest that we don’t need to lock in plans for a festive lunch and dinner for next year just yet – let’s just deal with this year first…, run out of headache tablets, add headache tablets to the shopping list, go shopping, forget the list and the headache tablets, shout at kids/wife/husband because everyone’s tempers are just a bit frayed…
“We’re going to find out who’s naughty or nice”
I don’t know about you, but I am certainly not feeling as nice as perhaps I would prefer to be at this point.
Granted, these are First World problems, but even so, the holiday lead up and festive season can be a major cause of stress, worry, tension and unhappiness.
And really, all you want to do is have a nice quiet time with your wife/husband/partner and kids if you have them.
A slow and relaxing lunch made up of some sensational and traditional roast turkey and perhaps with a nice glass of something, followed by a quiet afternoon sitting on the couch and playing with the kids, and maybe, if you’re lucky, you might want to build a snowman.
Or – depending on what hemisphere you happen to be in – after lunch perhaps you might like to sit under a tree, or on the beach, or next to a river, have a swim, build a sandcastle and play with your children, or read a book. Or both.
I don’t fully understand why we in the so called western world put so much emphasis on getting things done by the end of the year. Work pressures, family pressures, school pressures, social pressures, stress, stress and more stress.
Yes, the holiday season is a nice neat deadline that culminates in a few days holiday surrounding various calendar and religious dates – such as New Year’s Eve and New Years Day.
But it can also be worrying, stressful, a cause of anxiety, loneliness and unhappiness.
Why do we put so much intense pressure on ourselves, both as individuals and as a society ? Every year ?!?
Some people and families handle this pressure better than others.
Sometimes, while it may appear to be selfish on the outside, it can be a good idea to simply say “no”.
“No, sorry, but we are not coming to a festive lunch at Uncle Johns and Aunty Bettys place.”
“No, sorry, but we are unable to come to the grandparents house for a celebration breakfast and then the in-laws house for early festive dinner.”
“No, we are not catering for 28 people at our house this year.”
Sometimes it can be a good idea to discuss with your partner (and kids) what you as a family might like to do. Perhaps a game of cricket or baseball at the local park, perhaps if you are lucky enough you might be able to squeeze in a few relaxing and blissful days away together.
Jennifer from TheDeliberateMom.com posted a wonderful list of 30 Relaxation Ideas For Busy Parents a few months ago… why not have a read and make it a quest to achieve all 30 of her ideas ?
Perhaps you might like to just hang around at home, listen to some calming music on the stereo system and just chill.
Play your harp / cello / piano / saxophone / musical instrument that you have sadly neglected over the last month or so due to the busy and stressful lead up to the end of the year.
Sing some songs.
Dance as if no one is watching.
Watch the DVD you’ve been meaning to for ages but haven’t had the time, listen to some music, read a book in bed, or spend the day in your PJs.
Buy some gifts because you want to, not because you have to. Better yet, make some gifts and use the money you have saved to buy a turkey.
Turn off the internet and reconnect with your family or friends.
Put your smart phone into a drawer in the hallway and leave it there for 48 hours.
Help someone else who needs it.
Cook the turkey the way you want it cooked. Eat it when you want to eat it, with whom you want to eat it with.
Take time out for yourself.
Relax.
The holiday season can be a wonderful time for giving, for celebrating, for new beginnings. It can be a time for eating some wonderful food…. Did I mention the turkey ?
Flickr image thanks to Annie , sboneham , FelixSS , bottled_void .
