Friday, December 9, 2011

Bringing Back the Magic of the Holidays

The holiday season is here!  Starting with Thanksgiving (or possibly before!), it seems like we have over a month of different holidays.  Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year’s…all of these holidays are bunched together.  Sometimes, it seems like we can be completely overwhelmed by all of this.  This year, take the time to bring some of the magic back to your holiday season. 

How do you bring back the magic?  It can be difficult, especially if the holiday season is always stressful and unhappy for you.  However, if you do your best to refocus your holidays around what really matters, you’ll find yourself feeling less stressed.

Remember what the holidays are all about.  It’s not the big meal, the number of gifts, or any of the events.  The importance of the holidays is about seeing family members you haven’t seen in quite some time and getting together with friends.  Those who are hosting a dinner or party may feel very stressed over the preparations, often to the point of exhausting themselves and not enjoying everything they’ve worked so hard towards.  They worry so much about what people will think if there’s any little detail wrong that they drive themselves crazy.  However, the reality is that most people don’t even notice these “disastrous” little things, so there’s no point in stressing over them.

Another thing that seems to suck some of the magic out of the holidays is the stress of gift-buying.  While the saying about it’s the thought, not the gift, you know some people really are keeping score.  However, these should also be the people you’re least interested in impressing.  Try your hardest not to get caught up in the game of giving gifts, and give what you can.  In some cases, this means homemade gifts instead of buying expensive presents.  The people who know you and truly love you, though, will appreciate everything you’ve done.

If you feel yourself getting too stressed out by the holidays, take a moment to relax and remember why the holidays exist.  Enjoy your time with your friends and family, and don’t worry about the little things.


Christmas Flowers in Bridgeport, NJ.

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