How to survive the holidays – Part 1

I know this time of year, everyone encourages you to be thankful for the good in your life.  Holidays, by their very definition, should be a time of reflection and gratitude.  So how is it that this time of year sometimes becomes the craziest of all?  Relatives to visit, parties to attend, extra meals to make, visitors, and let’s not forget – THE GIFTS!

I grew up not celebrating the holidays for religious reasons.  That’s right, NO holidays.  So I was in an interesting position, I had all this time off but no added stress or obligations. My co-workers who knew this used to tell me how lucky I was.  I remember thinking, “how sad is that?”  Here they wait all year for this time of year and yet when it arrives, the stress outweighs the joy. 

As I left that religion, I wondered how my old beliefs would come together with my new beliefs – especially around holiday time.  Would I be okay with giving gifts (yes!), eating turkey on Thanksgiving (no problem here!), a Christmas tree in my house (so far, no).  

One thing I realized I wanted was a part of the traditional holidays – more time with family and friends, the fun of finding the “perfect” gift for someone – but didn’t want the stress and overwhelm experienced by the people around me.   The question was “Is that even possible?”