Have a REAL Happy Holiday: Take the Stress Out of the Season
Your house is adorned with festive lights, the kids are quietly wrapping presents for friends and family, the gingerbread houses are iced and gumdropped, a fire is crackling in the fireplace, and the smell of freshly baked sugar cookies lingers in the air.
What's wrong with this picture? It only happens in Holiday Movies of the Week. For most families, the reality of the holiday season means harried shopping trips, overstimulated kids, burned holiday treats, broken ornaments and last-minute tree trimming. But there is a way to help your family have a fun holiday without the frazzle!
- Make a Mess. You might like the decorations lined up symmetrically and your cookies to be perfectly shaped. But if you let your kids get really involved in all of the holiday activities and forget about getting it perfect, your family will have a blast. The holidays won't be ruined if the snowmen cookies look like they’ve melted, or there are four times more tinsel on the right side of the tree than the left. Celebrate your child’s creativity and show them that everything doesn’t have to be perfect to be fun.
- Tradition, Traditon, Tradition. Some families act out the Hannukah story of Judah and the Maccabees. Others make elf footprints by dusting flour on sponges cut up to look like feet. Whether it is staying up extra late on Christmas Eve watching a holiday movie, reading a special traditional story or playing dreidel with jellybeans, creating an annual tradition with your family makes the holidays even more special and gives everyone something to look forward to. If you don’t already have a holiday ritual, have a family meeting to discuss what everyone might enjoy together each year.
- Get Real: If you’re a parent, and especially if you’re the parent of young children, be realistic about what you can accomplish this holiday season. Maybe your holiday cookies and all your side dishes need to come from the local store. Give yourself room to enjoy your time with your family instead of worrying about all the details.
- Plug In: Try to get as much of your holiday shopping done online. No crowds, no wandering the aisles searching frantically for those items on your child’s list. Be sure to start early so you have all your gifts in time for the holiday. Most shopping sites give delivery estimates.
- Be a Peacemaker: Practice these words: It’s not a big deal. Give yourself a holiday mantra if things start to get ugly. If your in-laws insult the meal or your kids are arguing over presents, don’t react right away. Take a deep breath, hold it for three seconds and exhale slowly. Try to focus on fun rather than fighting.
- Keep on Moving. Now isn't the time to give up regular exercise; the added stress and extra calories mean you need physical activity even more. Try to stick to your regular routine. If you're too busy, a noon-hour walk or parking your car at a distance from a mall entrance will help get some extra steps in.
- Plan for Fun. If the kids are home and so are you, take some time to share some fun activities together. Go to a local museum or performance of the Nutcracker. Have lunch and a movie. Bake some cookies together, then get out the photo scrapbooks and remember holidays of the past. Treasure the time your kids are home and relaxed on their holiday break.
- Rest Easy. Balance active times with periods of rest and quiet activities. And make sure family members get a good night’s sleep every night so they're fresh for festivities.
Have an enjoyable and stress-free holiday!
Reviewed by: Patrick S. Pasquariello Jr., MD
Date: Dec. 2011
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