Yes, Only 55 Days Left…
As we pack up the Halloween costumes and put away the left over candy, we will find ourselves hit by the media telling us just 55 days left until Christmas. And with the holiday season approaching, we may find ourselves brain-storming for ideas of how to take the materialism of the holiday out of our lives. This might allow us to simplify our holiday time so we can be in our moment, creating and enjoying those memories that matter the most.
Sit back and breathe. What are the important things that you do want to put your energy towards during this season? Remember the holiday that was the perfect holiday time for you and your family? What was it that made that season so special? It may include time spent together, making cookies with the children, the opportunity to be with a special person in our lives, spending time with family laughing together, sitting at the table talking all night long with the sister you rarely see, or receiving that special letter from a long lost friend. The list of our special moments in the holiday season can go on and on. Rarely do those moments include that special Wii game or perfect cell phone that we received.
Yet we all experience that already overloaded schedule with the demand of finding time for sending Christmas cards, shopping, (even if you are trying to keep it simple), working extra hours to pay for the season, and falling onto the couch on Christmas day, exhausted to have completed it all on time. And with the exhaustion comes the difficulty of enjoying those moments that really are what we care about most, because we have nothing left in our bucket.
Before we start our countdown, maybe the most loving and caring thing we can do for our families and ourselves is to prioritize, cut down those extra activities, and make sure we still have energy left for the moments to be with each other. We can be conscientious about our choices during this holiday season, ensuring that we still have energy left for what we are really looking for during this season
Tags: positive experiences for the holidays, prioritize for the holidays, taking materialism out of ChristmasABOUT THE AUTHOR
Janie Pfeifer Watson
Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker
Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner- Janie Pfeifer Watson, LICSW, is the founder and director of Wholeness Healing Center, a mental health practice in Grand Island, Nebraska with remote sites in Broken Bow and Kearney. Her expertise encompasses a broad range of areas, including depression, anxiety, attachment and bonding, coaching, couples work, mindfulness, trauma, and grief. She views therapy as an opportunity to learn more about yourself as you step more into being your authentic self. From her perspective this is part of the spiritual journey; on this journey, she serves as a mirror for her clients as they get to know themselves—and, ultimately, to love themselves.
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