4 Strategies to Survive the Holiday Season
For those who get stressed or overwhelmed during the holidays.
Holidays are on my mind since all anyone asks me after Halloween is, “What are you doing for Thanksgiving?”
The day after Thanksgiving, the question everyone asks is, “What are you doing for Christmas?”
People find themselves all different situations for the holidays.
There are 3 categories of people this time of year:
looking forward to it
dreading it
completely indifferent
Whichever category you fall into, here are some strategies to survive:
#1 - Don’t put so much pressure on yourself to feel all warm and fuzzy.
People act like if you don’t have this perfect and dreamy holiday, there’s something wrong with you.
One doesn’t have to feel sentimental and nostalgic to enjoy the holidays.
#2 – Don’t lose sight of the bigger picture.
The holiday is just one day out of the year.
For example, many people think the actual day of the holiday should be perfect from sunrise to sunset. If it’s not, the whole season is ruined.
Maybe a snowstorm prevents your family from getting to your house for the meal.
Or maybe flights were canceled, and plans have to change.
Or maybe someone gets sick and can’t make the trip.
For the Christian, holidays are about celebrating God’s gifts to us. We should be carrying those feelings in our hearts all year round.
If you recognize what the holidays represent, it’s never about one 24-hour period; therefore, one bad day doesn’t ruin everything.
#3 – Embrace the imperfect.
So what if your dishes don’t match or your house is too small?
So what if you forgot to buy the whipped topping for the pumpkin pie?
It’s ok, life goes on.
Don’t worry about everything being perfect. Enjoy the people, and have some fun. That’s what people remember.
#4 – Make the holiday about others instead of yourself.
There is no faster way to get in the holiday spirit than to volunteer to help someone who is less fortunate than you. It puts everything into perspective.
And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians 3:17 (NKJV)
Make sure God is at the center of all your holiday activities as well as your heart, and you can’t go wrong.
This is a vital message that we need to take to heart. There can be so much emotional baggage, even trauma associated with the holidays. For those of us not so afflicted, we can be a resource of strength to help others experience the best time that they can.