Every year we look forward to the holiday season. And every year, we pull out our hair because of all the stress and anxiety related to the holiday season. All too many family gatherings look shockingly close to all the bad ideas from Festivus. There is all the fighting and airing of grievances. That is before the dry turkey and mashed potatoes the kids have been sticking their fingers in while waiting for the rest of the food to come out.
Let’s not even get started on all those presents you spent way too much money on because you are hosting the party at your house and the twins will be there and you had to get something for the last-minute guests, and that thing doesn’t come with batteries, and that other thing is the wrong size, and that other thing next to the thing is sporting the wrong superhero. Yuck! What a mess!
That noise you hear is the semi-permanent ringing in your ears. Yeah, you thought that drum set was a perfectly good present. The migraine now pounding to the beat of the household’s new drummer will be a long-term reminder of everything you hate about the holidays. And next year, you will do it all over again.
Here’s a thought: Don’t do it all over again. You can keep the holidays but reconsider a few of those long standing traditions. Here are a few tweaks to the plan that can dial back some of the stress:
Give Services as Opposed to Goods
There is nothing wrong with exchanging gifts. But some gifts can be quite tricky. Size is not just a consideration for apparel. If you are going to give someone a smartwatch this year, be sure to take note of the size of the watch and the wrist that will be wearing it. Apple Watch comes in two sizes. The large watch on a small wrist is a bad look. If they already have a watch and you want to buy them an extra band, be sure the band is the right size for the watch.
The best way around some of these challenges is to give services like a membership to one of the premium gyms in Denver. That is the type of gift where one size really does fit all. The service doesn’t have to be forever. It can be for a year. You might even pay for a few months in the form of a gift card.
Let Someone Else Do the Cooking
Stop doing all that cooking. You are missing out on so much. You are missing out on time with the family, watching holiday specials, shopping for that special little something for yourself. Christmas Eve should be carefree as Christmas Day. Yet both are filled with stress. Much of that stress comes from kitchen duty.
Why not get a full holiday meal without any of the stress by letting someone else do the cooking. You can get complete meals from restaurants for a lot less than you think. Many restaurants offer these complete meal deals without doing a good job of advertising them. If the restaurant serves a traditional cuisine, there is a good chance they do offer meals. When you call, ask about catering services.
Become a Volunteer
If you want to flip the script, find a way to safely volunteer during the holiday season. Nothing shrinks the size of your problems like immersing yourself in someone else’s. The holidays can be devastating for many people who have no one with which to share it. The homeless need blankets. Soup kitchens need cooks and servers. Pantries need sorters and deliverers. Volunteerism is for the entire family. It will not only ease your stress, it will remind you of what the holidays are all about.
Your holidays do not have to feature the usual, sitcom-level stress and angst. Relieve some of it by gifting services instead of goods, letting someone else do the cooking, and embracing the spirit of volunteerism.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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