The December Pep Talk I Needed
December is the greatest time of year, but along with that title comes most stressful time of year! Christmas performances, school holiday parties, themed school dress up days, book swaps, cookie exchanges, shopping for gifts, Elf on the Shelf, decorating the inside AND outside of your home. Individually these are all great things, but when every single one of them is lumped together in just one month, they can cause you to have a menty-B. (That is mental breakdown for my Boomer generation readers…love you all!)
If you are a perfectionist like me, a lot of internal pressure can come with this time of year. For me, I almost lost it when I could not get my built-ins decorated just right for the season in under 60 minutes. Because of my job title, my internal voice is telling me it has to be absolutely perfect. Well that is B.S., and all of that sounds absolutely ridiculous as I type it out. My built-in book shelf decor is not going to determine mine or my family’s joy this season.
After the ridiculous temper tantrum I threw in my head, I knew it was time to re-focus on the reason for the season. We are celebrating the birth of Christ. It is a time for joy, celebration of life, and thanksgiving.
If you too, feel like the moms in Bad Moms Christmas, one, I cannot blame you, two, here are the steps I followed to get myself back on track:
Re-Evaluate your priorities. For us time spent with our immediate family is number one. Beyond that, everything else is a plus.
Plan one non-Christmas evening. Tune out the noise from Instagram telling you to buy this or that. For just one night, skip out on the Christmas movies, and cozy up with your favorite book or movie. Get a good night’s rest. After this evening, you will have pressed your own reset button and your will be ready to take on the season!
If you must obsess, pick your ONE thing to go all out with: your front porch, your Christmas tree, or your book club’s annual Christmas party. You cannot do it all; physically or mentally. Just one, my friend.
Remove one tradition, piece of decor, or event from your to-do list. If your Christmas to-do list is a mile long, we need to trim it back. Maybe just this year, you skip out on the 5 trees you usually put up, and just do 1 (or three if you must…ahem, me). Maybe this year you send your family cards out for the New Year or Valentine’s Day, instead of rushing to take pics, design your card, and get them mailed out before December 25th.
If the physical mess is stressing you out, set a timer for 30 minutes, and reset your home. Anything else you don’t have time for gets put behind closed doors until it can be addressed.
Take a moment to reflect on the reason for the season. Count your blessings. Remind yourself why Christmas even exists. Make a list of everything you are grateful for. Keep this list nearby as a reminder.
Create a plan. After you have removed items off your to-do list. Re-write your list with a range of dates you want to have these events happen or check off tasks. Your calendar is your friend here. Plan for the magical moments your family enjoys most. If seeing Santa downtown is a priority, check the dates and times and figure out a weekend to make that happen. Stack the activities if that makes sense. For example, if seeing the lights downtown & visiting Santa downtown are both on your list, do them at the same time, since they are in the same location. Don’t add more trips for yourself.
Plan a Christmas activity YOU actually enjoy. Do you LOVE baking cookies and watching The Holiday? Write down a date in your calendar for this to happen. You matter during the holidays, too!
Deep breaths, my friend. Christmas was not meant to be something we get through; it is meant to be enjoyed, one moment at a time.
