Me? Scared of the Holidays? HA!
by Tammie Polk
You look at the calendar and see that the holidays are coming.
You feel lightheaded… You start checking your bank balance… You think about who is going to be at family dinner this year… You predict the arguments… You can hear the voices asking stupid, divisive questions… You can feel the heat of the fake love…
UUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH! And then, it happens… You start to smile. You shake your head. You take a deep breath. You look at that calendar and say, “You know what, holidays? I’m not going there with you this year! Why? This year, I’m going to….
Come up with new family traditions that DON’T stress me out!
Who says that you have to deal with all of that in the first place? I get the idea of getting together with family and breaking bread; however, that can still be done by wearing cool pajamas and passing around pizza boxes while watching a family favorite on TV!
If you know that the annual family gathering is going to stress you out, it’s okay to bow out gracefully. Yes, they are going to talk; however, you don’t have to endure it! Ask your family what THEIR favorite parts of the holidays are and go with that!
When it comes to food, you don’t have to spend hours upon days in the kitchen cooking! Order a holiday meal from a family favorite restaurant and keep it moving! Or, if cooking is really your thing, make family favorites instead of the traditional holiday spread.
Resist the urge to keep up appearances!
If you do choose to go to the annual family soiree, don’t kill yourself trying to make your family look like a magazine cover just to assuage that one family member who always has something to say about how your family looks! If you decide that it’s denim and t-shirts that day, then wear it proudly and have extra shirts on hand for the mess that’s coming from good eating!
Set conversation boundaries with your family, too, letting them know what it is and isn’t okay to talk about during the visit. Everybody doesn’t need to know you’re business, no matter how much they try to goad you into telling!
WATCH MY SPENDING!
I put that in all caps because tis the season for DEBT! If you have to debate on what bills you’re going to delay in paying just so you can impress when you show up or they come to you, then don’t do it! It’s not worth it. You may not be able to do what everyone else does; however, don’t put your household in the red trying to make it seem as though you can!
Be okay with not making the mad sale dash!
While there might be some things you look to get at that time because you really need a better price for them, don’t get so caught up in trying to get it that your family misses you during the holidays. You can be together, yet so focused on those things, that you aren’t really present with your family.
Just my two cents! Merry Christmas to you and yours! I pray for God’s absolute best as you and your family give thanks.
