The Holiday Switch: From Stressed to Blessed

I eyed the calendar suspiciously. I blinked. That can’t be right. Didn’t we just do this like five minutes ago?! But as I looked again, I realized it to be true. The holidays are upon us.

Sure, that sounds a bit cliche, but seriously—it seems the older I get, the faster the pages of the calendar turn.

Don’t get me wrong—I’m not a stunt double for the How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I like the holidays. I really do. The fun, the family time (when applicable—hey, it’s the military!) and the festivities make that little spot in my heart get all warm and fuzzy.

What I don’t  appreciate is the stress that seems to come with the holidays.

Because really, if I’m wound up about the holiday season and stressed to the max, I fail to enjoy it. I spend more time worried about all the things instead of reveling in the blessing that comes with all the things.

So this year, I’m going on strike regarding holiday stress.

Starting now, I’m making a holiday switch from stressed to blessed.

I wanted to share with you some of my proactive techniques and expectations I am setting in advance:

1. I will share my expectations, then stick to my guns. 

That’s right. Talk with your people and determine what you want to get out of this holiday season. My beloved soldier has had a busy year… and my job has also kept me on my toes. Oh, and we chase a toddler, too. And I trained for my first marathon. And, and, and…. So we’ve already set the expectation that this holiday will be low key because we need to recharge more than have the banister decorated with organic, hand-braided pine boughs. My in-laws are coming for Christmas this year (don’t worry—I love them to death; they’re awesome!), so we’ve already told them to bring comfy clothes and prepare to eat, sleep, and be pseudo-hermit-like. We have never been so excited to be this boring.

2. I will release the stuff that really doesn’t matter.

I’m a traditionalist. I love digging out our tree and sorting through all the ornaments that are a couple of decades old. Nostalgia, party of one! But if a specific ornament isn’t hung exactly where I think it should be on the tree, I don’t need to lose my mind. (This has never really happened before. It’s totally hypothetical…) I shall get my Elsa on and let. it. go. Release it. If my kiddo doesn’t make a gingerbread mansion of glory, so be it. She probably just wants to eat the cookie base anyways, am I right?

3. I will pick my battles. 

Am I really going to fight over a specific toy/tradition/game plan? Maybe, if it doesn’t fall in line with item #1 or #2. But for the most part, I’m going into this season picking my battles. I shan’t exert excess energy unless it is truly necessary. If the sun will still rise tomorrow and no one is going to die because of said decision, I’ll likely just let it be. (See, my blood pressure just dropped like four points by simply typing that!)

4. I will be intentional about resting. 

Have you ever taken a vacation that, when it was over, you felt like you needed another vacation just to recover? Yeah. Our summer block leave was like that this year. We came home exhausted and weary instead of refreshed and joyful. So this Christmas, we are parking our tushes in our hacienda and enjoying each other’s company. (Because that seems like such a rare experience these days.)

5. I will focus on synergy. 

I used to be all “Look at me, the strong one who shall do all the things! I will cook the turkey! Let me host the dinner! Clean house! Decorate! Nervous Breakdown!” Yeah, well… not this year. We already have plans to do Thanksgiving with our home group, and my heart did a little flip-flop happy dance in the freezer section of the commissary today, knowing I didn’t have to buy/defrost/cook/tote a 25-pound turkey around. I look forward to letting someone else rock that out this year!

6. I will acknowledge the season of life I’m in, then embrace it.

As I mentioned, we have a toddler. And a dog. And hubby’s job is super intense. As is mine. Seven out of seven days a week, we fall into bed exhausted each night. It is the season of life. Perhaps someday in the future, when I don’t have to spend 97.3% of my time yelling at my tiny human to please stop touching the glass ornaments or you will be in time out again, we will acquire some super pretty decor and go all out. But right now, we will be working the reused decorations from a Walmart trip like six years ago.

7. I will figure out my jam, then do it. No more, no less. 

As much as I would love to be a Pinterest mom/holiday person, that is just not my jam. Not even a little bit. Decoration is not my thing. Now, writing? Sure. Creating something interesting out of practically nothing for zero dollars? Yes. But fashioning handmade individual place settings for my guests? No. Just no. And that is okay. I find the most fun/joy/blessing in doing the things I’m good at. So that is where you will find me this year.

 

 

Which of these tips resonates with you the most? What would you add to the list? I always love to hear feedback. Chime in and leave a comment.

And may you have a beautiful holiday season as you make the switch from stressed to blessed!