Tis the Season

It's that time of year. When you hear that what do you think of? Do you see holiday parties, good times with friends and family? Hot chocolate, egg nog and presents? Or do you see to do lists, packed stores and a lot of people with a raging case of the grumpies?

I used to think of December as the most stressed out time of the year. It was a month long marathon with the finish line being Christmas Eve at 3:00 when I had to walk out the door for the first family Christmas party.

Over the last several years I put a lot of thought into ways to take the stress out of Christmas and put the joy back in. Do I live a stress free, totally joyous season? Not entirely. But I do enjoy the month of December. I get to spend some great time with my kids and my husband, I spend little time in the mall, and I do get a good night sleep (most nights). Most important, it's been several years since I exploded in the middle of December.

There are a lot of things that contribute to my enjoyment of the season and I'd like to share 1 key idea with you today.

Letting go.

Letting go of my ego
The house does not have to be immaculate and dust free.
Kid decorated is beautiful no matter where the decorations end up.
Neat, clean, happy kids are more important than being dressed in the perfect holiday outfit.
Gifts that I enjoyed buying make better presents than ones that stress me out to no end (and for those people who are impossible to shop for I take a pleasant shopping trip and include a gift receipt for them).

Letting go of other people's expectations
This is a key time to determine what is important to you and then spend your time there. For me that meant not attending a couple family parties with my extended family and my extended-extended family (you know how those Polish families are) so I could relax and enjoy time with my husband and kids and our immediate families.

Letting go of the schedule
As much as I like to schedule, this time of year is much more fun when I am flexible. I just put a 1/2 day worth of items on my schedule then use the rest of the time to do items on my running to do list or to do whatever has popped up, whether it is working on Christmas presents, completing a project for work or building a snowman.

Letting go of the stress
When I feel stressed I sit down, make a quick to do list then take a second look to see what I am expecting of myself. Usually it is too much so I cross off a few things - the things I choose to let go. When it becomes doable, and I even see the possibility of enjoying my activities again, then I know I'm done and I can go do some of the items on the list.

This Christmas season I wish for you the ability to let go. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!