It is about this time of year that many people start to feel the pressure of the holiday season that is soon approaching.
The inspiration to write about this pressure or stress that we feel came to me today after a brief ‘water-cooler’ style conversation about Christmas being only 19 days away. The conversation included both feelings of anticipation and trepidation. Christmas preparation, shopping, baking, cleaning, travel plans and the likes of holiday preparation really seem to get people all worked up; and rightfully so, because on top of our already busy lives we add the extra responsibilities of keeping with traditions, and creating a memorable experience for our families.
I thought it would be prudent at this time of year to write about the tasks that we feel obligated to perform in preparation of, during and after this busy holiday season. If we stop for a moment to really think deeply about what is important to us at this time of year, we may find our to-do list contradictory.
The celebration of Christmas is about the birth of Christ. We celebrate our faith in different ways, but the foundation of the meaning of this sacred day differs greatly from our task list for the event. Over the years, tradition has introduced material items like stockings and toys, clean houses and baked goods, etc. All of these good things are getting in the way of the best thing …. which is the real meaning of the celebration. With the time and money required to satisfy all of our ideas for the season comes fatigue, stress and even debt.
Dr. Stephen Covey, together with Roger and Rebecca Merrill wrote a fabulous book called “First Things First: To Live, to Love, to Learn, to Leave a Legacy”. When we consider putting first things first in our lives, we decide what is really important to us, and we make time for these important things first. The other “stuff” doesn’t get our time and attention, but we’ve decided it’s just “other stuff”, and we are happy.
For example, if you decide that one of the first things in your life is your family connection, then do the things that are important for a great family connection. Perhaps that means instead of having an event that requires material gifts and a clean house, you make a family tobogganing date, or you make time to connect by communicating with one another. If the house is a mess when your family comes over, ask them to excuse the mess and let them know that you wanted to save your energy to really enjoy their company. My point is that everything we do is a choice, and we often have expectations of ourselves at this time of year that are unrealistic. When we take time to really think about what is most important in our lives, we can re-evaluate these choices, so that our actions are in harmony with our values.
Following my “water-cooler” conversation, I had the privilege of joining in my young children’s school mass where their priest encouraged them to “Be A Gift” at Christmas time. At this age, children don’t typically have the resources to go and buy gifts for people, or even hand craft the number of gifts to serve everyone that they want to share the spirit of Christmas with. He asked them what they could do to to “Be A Gift” to others at this time of year. There answers were adorable, simple, stress free, cost free, and definitely worth sharing with anyone who wants to think more like a kid, and exchange some stress for some happiness at this time of year.
| · be a good friend | · zip up my brother’s snow pants | · listen |
| · love one-another | · listen to my parents | · call my Grandparents |
| · help a neighbour | · share more | · help others find joy |
| · pray for someone | · forgive | · make someone laugh |
The suggestions made by the children are an excellent example of how we can share the spirit of Christmas without a great deal of stress, or a big investment of money or energy. These are simple gestures of love and kindness that we sometimes overlook in the hype of the season. They are all great but simple gifts that we can give. I have often heard comments after the season of how exhausted people are, and how their time was spent like a whirlwind, not really able to take the time to find the joy in the season. Perhaps we need to revert back to our childhood slightly and keep things more simple.
I would like to empower you to think deeply about what is really important, and decide for yourself how to invest your energy this season. Don’t forget about yourself, and the happiness that you deserve at this time of year. If we get what we give, then giving love and sharing joy at this time of year will definitely bring an abundance of good things to our lives. It’s your choice, and its in your good hands.
God Bless,
Penny Tremblay
“Children spell love differently than we do. They spell it T-I-M-E.” ~ unknown
* This article is dedicated to a frequent reader and fan, Christine Dawson-Zimbaletti, and the children of Sacred Heart School.