Holiday Sanity Tour – Keeping YOU In Your Holidays

Welcome to The Holiday Sanity Blog Tour, 20 days of tips, tools, techniques, and perspectives from me (and 19 other coaches) with LOVE this holiday season. I’m so excited to be a part of this tour and connect with a group of like-minded coaches that have such a passion for helping others.

When Megan Hale & Jenn Scalia shared their vision for this blog tour with me, I knew I wanted to be a part of it because this is by far my favorite time of the year but I see so many people with no joy during the holidays. I want you to have a different experience this year. 

So without further ado, please enjoy my insight into getting through this holiday season with grace, ease, and well-being.

While this is meant to be the most wonderful time of the year, all too often it is the most stressful time of the year. There is all the shopping that has to be done, the special dinners that have to be made, not to mention all the parties that have to be attended.

So many people don’t actually enjoy this time of the year because of the added pressure that comes along with the words “Holiday Season”. There are so many things you “should” be doing and it is easy for you to get lost in the midst of trying to do them all.

I would love for all of us to get through the holidays this year with grace and ease. Megan has written a brilliant post on setting intentions for the holidays. With that in mind, here are some ways you can avoid shoulding yourself and hopefully keep YOU in your holidays.

The Parties

Holiday parties can be some of the best parts of the season. But every year, the list of parties to attend seems to grow and every year the obligation to attend them all grows too.

This year, rather than saying yes to all of them decide how many parties you want to attend. Once you have that number, look at your list and say yes only to the ones where you know you will have the best time. One of my clients is only attending parties that won’t require her to get childcare because finding a sitter for parties is one stressor she doesn’t want to experience this year. Figure out what criteria you will use and then stick to it.

As for hosting a party, if you enjoy doing that then by all means have at it. But host the kind of party you would enjoy attending not that kind of party you think you should have. If you want low key then have a low-key party. If you want fancy then have a fancy party.

The point is, let the party reflect you and your personality, not how the magazines (or your neighbors party) tells you it should look.

The Gifts

Somewhere along the way, giving gifts at Christmas became more about making sure no one felt slighted than about giving someone something that was meaningful or important to them. These days it feels as if gifts are given for the sake of saying you gave someone something instead of coming from the heart.

This year instead of giving the gifts you think you should give, why not give gifts that matter to the people that matter most to you. You do not have to buy gifts for every single person in your world. You don’t even have to buy gifts for everyone in your family. If it stresses you then don’t do it or get creative about how you can do it to minimize the stress.

Another client has decided that all kids in her family will get gifts this year but only close adult family members. It got out of control for her last year and thinking about doing it all again completely overwhelmed her so she’s doing it differently this year.

When it comes to gift giving, think about why you’re giving the gift and decide to give only meaningful gifts. This simple shift could change everything about gift giving for you.

The Traditions

Traditions are a big part of the holidays for a lot of families. But for some, it has gotten to the point where the traditions are done for the sake of doing them with no heart behind them. I have also seen people start traditions because they saw it in someone else’s family and decide they “should” do it too (hello Elf On The Shelf).

Give some thought this year to what traditions are the most important for you and your family. Eliminate anything that no longer works and stick to those that have meaning for your family. They will appreciate and, no doubt, remember them more this way.

The Experience

Give yourself permission to experience the holidays in a way that feels right for you. If you have children, spending time with them in the evenings and on weekends watching Christmas movies and drinking hot chocolate will likely be more meaningful than racing to a different holiday event every night.

If you don’t have children then time spent intentionally with a few friends may be more important than being in a room full of people you barely know.

Create an experience this year that will be memorable for YOU. Do what is right for you and don’t worry about what anyone else wants to say about it. It’s your holidays not theirs.

Here’s to you having your best December ever!

From my heart to yours,

I’ve had so much fun connecting to so many amazing coaches who are passionate about helping others.  I’d love for you to have access to the rest of the tour so you don’t miss out on this valuable resource.

Make sure to sign up here for The Holiday Sanity Blog Tour updates and check out Shamia Casiano’s post from yesterday and Jenn Scalia’s post tomorrow.

As always, I wish you much love and peace, especially through the Holidays!