Today I took a trip down memory lane, and found this gem from December 2011 on my old blog. Isn’t it fabulous–once in a while–to hear our own wisdom echoing in our ears? So … this one is a repost. Hence, the references to my little children, who are now teenagers. *sniff* Also, the pics are from many random Christmases over the years. Enjoy.

One day in mid-November, while playing taxi for a couple of really cute kiddos, I heard my first Christmas carol of the season. And then something happened that I did not expect: I cringed. And I was met with the irresistible urge to change the station. What?! Breathe, I thought. It’s just too early. I’ll start feeling the holiday spirit after Thanksgiving is over. But that didn’t happen either.

First week of December. The random assortment of dusty storage boxes with faded red and green labels stands like a skyscraper in my living room. I plop down on the couch, exasperated–exhausted just looking at the tower. Nooooo, I plead. I’m not ready!

In 31 years of Christmases, I don’t ever remember feeling this Grinchy. I love Christmas! Everyone LOVES Christmas, right? Well, maybe not everyone. But I’ve never considered myself to be on the “Scrooge” list. And then I realized, it’s not Christmas that I am overwhelmed with. It’s everything around it. It’s all the “stuff and fluff” as Pooh Bear so eloquently put it.

I’m bewildered and exhausted just thinking about all the stuff and fluff surrounding Christmas.

And apparently I’m not the only one. When I Googled “holiday stress,” I got more than 7 million hits in 0.16 seconds. Nope, I’m not exaggerating.

Here are some things I’ve realized that are helping me to slow down, chill out, and maybe enjoy the season a little more this year:

*It’s okay to pause and enjoy a cup of cocoa now and then. With lots of marshmallows. Yum.

*I’m no more important than the other people standing in line or stuck in mall traffic. Sometimes it’s nice to let someone else go first, just because.

*If I want to go to an event, I can. If I don’t want to go, I don’t have to.

*Changing it up can be fun. There’s no reason to force myself to do something, “because it’s Tradition (with a capital ‘T’), and we always do it that way.”

*It seems like there is an awful lot of waiting this time of year. Waiting in line, waiting for packages, waiting for Christmas Day. I’ve decided the best present I can give myself this year is to be present and take each moment as it comes. Waiting in a long line becomes savored time with my kids. Listening to a long … long story about my 5-year-old’s imaginary friend and what she wants for Christmas brings a smile rather than an exasperated sigh. It’s all about perspective.

*I don’t have to bake. Guess what? Our neighbors are getting some of our handmade soaps this year, instead.

*One easy way to avoid some holiday pounds is to avoid cookie exchanges! Ha!

*It’s not really about the presents. I remember lots more Christmas carols than I do gifts I’ve received over the years.

*Even if I don’t mail out Christmas cards, people can still know I love them and am thinking about them. Maybe I’ll call instead. I have a month or two to call whoever I want.

*My kids are still little, and largely unaware of the holiday madness. It’s likely they will remember the fun stuff we did, not the stress surrounding it.

*I don’t have to attend every single Christmas party, concert, and get-together. It’s okay to say “no,” even before my schedule is completely saturated.

*It has been a challenging year for us, so we won’t have a lot of gifts, but that’s okay. It actually feels kind of good to simplify.

*Things don’t have to be perfect.

*I don’t have to do everything this year. There will be other years and other chances to do “all the things” all over again.

*And last of all (but it probably should’ve been first!) … It seems like a palm-to-forehead moment, but I’ve had to re-focus on the “reason for the season.” It’s this: A little baby was born in the humblest of circumstances. He didn’t have to come to earth and suffer for us, but he did. Because he loves us. At Christmastime, we show our gratitude for his sacrifice by remembering him and showing each other a little more love than we usually do. Love was Christ’s gift to us, and it is the most precious gift we can give to each other.

Well, in addition to my little collection of light bulb moments, I’ll bet you want to dip into that great wealth of knowledge that I found amongst the 7 million “holiday stress” hits on the net. Here’s one I really liked: It’s a list of quick tips to beat holiday stress. (2023 Update: The author revamped her article recently, too, which is pretty cool.)

So, if you see me (or don’t see me) at a party, and I seem to have unplugged from the merriment for little bit, don’t think I’m Scroogey, ‘kay? Just trying to stay sane. 😉

Merry Christmas!

2023 Update: I was curious about the Google search at the beginning of my post regarding “holiday stress.” The result in 2011 was “more than 7 million hits in 0.16 seconds.” I wondered, what would that look like today?

When I Googled “holiday stress” in 2023, it didn’t bring up pop culture, bubblegum articles on “Top 10 Ways to Avoid Holiday Stress” like it did 12 years ago. Instead, it brought up serious articles from Mayo Clinic, Harvard Medical School, and the American Psychiatric Association on dealing with anxiety and depression during the holidays. At first, I thought, “Wow! What does that say about the world today?!” But then I remembered a documentary I just saw about social media, when I learned something fascinating …

Google is a funny animal. Did you know that our Google searches now yield different results depending on the person typing in the search bar? Apparently, it learns your patterns and shows you what it thinks you want to see. So I guess the real question I should be asking myself is not, “What do these results say about the world?” I should be asking, “What do these results say about me?”

Are you curious? What does Google give you when you type in “holiday stress”?