How does it get to be the holidays so fast? It seems like one minute we are planning picnics and summer vacations and the next there are decorations out for December holidays in October. I know time doesn't exist on the other side but it seems to be flying on this side.
This year I have had a new perspective of the holiday season. I've never been a traditional gal. I don't get super excited to shop and trust me, cooking is never a woo hoo moment for me so planning a meal does not make me gleeful. I do love the music and the lights and the little kids excitement but the rest of it seems like too much fuss directed at acquiring more stuff and stressing us out. At some point this last year I decided I wanted experiences to be my gift to me this year. I can't say where it happened but I am glad I became aware that stuff couldn't make me happy, I had to do that myself!
I wonder if this perspective wouldn't help others enjoy the months of November and December and beyond! So often when someone says Happy Holidays (and yes, I am totally happy with this expression...it has happy in it!) they don't mean it. They may not even believe that a happy holiday season is possible. There may be so many stressors that they are only wishing to move past the time of holidays and get to a more normal schedule. Does this sound familiar? Do you want to fast forward past the parties and shopping and wrapping? Do you want to stay solvent in your energy as well as your wallet? Do you miss family members, either because they passed or because there is family tension and Happy Holidays seems nauseating?
What if you decided to take this holiday season like you would take a hairpin turn? What if you downshifted, held the wheel with confidence and trusted that you have come through other holiday seasons and you will this one too, with the added benefit of enjoying it too!
What if you decided that time with someone was worth more than any item you may have to dust? I don't want anyone stressing over what to give me. I want to see a smile. I want to hear you donated to a charity instead of buying me something, or I want to hear, Vicki, want to go to dinner and we will enjoy each others company AND eat out? (Remember, I don't cook!)
What if we slowed time down and realized the holidays are really for celebrating and honoring all of what we already have? If you take that corner too fast you may not stay on the road and risk a crash, but if you are conscious and take it with care, it will be exhilarating.
Try something new this year. Listen to you and really ask what you would like to do on a day of honoring. For Thanksgiving this year, I am thanking my body for supporting me this year and rather than stuffing my face I will be doing a race that raises money for enrichment programs. We will have a dinner with the kids at another time, but this is what I want to do this year and I am giving myself that gift as well as providing an example of authenticity. Traditions are important but how do new ones get started if we don't give ourselves permission to navigate those turns?
Whatever your holiday celebration is, I wish you the best of you and the time you get to spend with others. The saying is so true that we can't take items with us when we go, but I promise you, we take the connections we have made and we hold them dear. How we spend our time here matters when we are no longer physical, shouldn't it matter while we are?
Celebrating you in my life,
Vicki
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