Your Guide to the Holidays at your own pace
I was recently talking on the podcast about my personal love affair with the holiday season - IT’S BIG BIG LOVE you guys. To be totally honest though, there have been many seasons, particularly in early motherhood when I simply could not muster up the energy to do anything other than get a tree, and even that was almost too much. I felt pressured to be doing all the things, and felt guilty when I couldn’t.
This little list was born out of my reflection on certain times in the last 10 years especially that my energy, personal life, and mental space impacted my ability to embrace the holiday season. I hope that no matter where you are in this current season you find a mode that resonates authentically for you. Maybe you fall into one of these categories, or maybe you’re a mixture of a little bit of all them - this is a choose your own adventure, holiday edition!
Slow Down Energy (i.e. less is more this holiday season)
Say “no” and clear your calendar
decline those virtual event invites and create your own family traditions
go through your calendar and find 3-5 commitments to remove
Practice saying “This year our plan is to stay home and focus on each other. Thank you so much for your invitation, but please do check back in next year!”
Limit or eliminate gifting this year
focus on experiences
focus on homemade
try reverse gifting - going through your current stuff, and donating things you no longer want or need
Go on a buying freeze.
get creative with what you already have
look at things you can reuse as gift wrapping and bows
can you make your own ornaments?
can you re-gift your favorite things to people you love (i.e. your fav book or movie, that sweater you love so much, a recipe you love to make?)
Do a nightly walk around the neighborhood to see who else has put up their Christmas lights!
Check out your favorite holiday books from the library and read them together as a family!
Outsource when necessary
buy pre-made food or goodies for holiday feasts or exchanges
if you do purchase gifts, see if you can get them pre-wrapped
gift yourself a house clean if it fits in the budget and you don’t have the energy to clean during the holiday season
If your faith is a part of the holiday season, then find ways to reconnect to that:
we share the story behind our faith frequently with our kiddos this season
we share Christmas scripture as part of our advent calendar
Balanced Energy (i.e. let’s sprinkle in some upgraded holiday cheer)
Bake and decorate your favorite Christmas cookies
go homemade or pre-made!
have a family Christmas movie night complete with homemade cocoa and marshmallows
bonus points if you can check out those movies at the library for free!
I have a homemade cocoa and homemade marshmallow recipe for you!
Have an advent calendar
purchase or make your own depending on your energy level!
Build a snowman (if you get snow!)
write letters to Santa
if you don’t celebrate Santa, maybe opt to write letters to anyone in your life who might need some cheering up!
Elf Energy (i.e. I love this time of year and have unending energy for all the things!)
Build a gingerbread house
you can go from scratch or buy a kit!
start a toy drive for your community
get on your next door app and have a drop off point on your porch!
put up Christmas lights
send Christmas cards
have an ugly sweater virtual competition
get a new special ornament for each member of the family
this is a fav tradition for us!
create a Christmas Eve tradition
we do a pajama box with a movie and a book for our kids!
create a Christmas Day tradition
we have a special French toast bake and do a big breakfast while opening presents
Adopt a family for the holidays
we love doing Angel Tree!
get matching family pajamas
my favorite family PJs are from Primary.com!
coordinate your family or neighborhood Secret Santa
another feat that can be accomplished on the Next-door App I you have it!
I hope this list is a sustainable starting point for you to find a way to be present this holiday season in whatever way feels right to you! Would love to hear any other ideas you might have for each of these energy levels!