I’m not sure about you, but I’m feeling the hustle and bustle of this wonderful, beautiful, yet stressful time of year.
The holiday season is full of joy, celebrations, excitement, family and traditions. It can also be just as filled with challenges and stresses. No matter what we have planned – taking an amazing trip, going home for the holidays, cooking a delicious meal, giving the most memorable presents – we often push ourselves to make the holiday oh so very special. Yet, we put a tremendous amount of pressure on ourselves. Sometimes, though, we need to reflect on the craziness that we create.
So here’s what I’m thinking…
I need to remind myself that laughter and joy of the holiday will come from being fully present with one other. The best holiday stories will come from the things that didn’t go as planned. I need remind myself take some deep breaths, worry less, accept the fact that everything might not get done, things won’t be perfect, and the holiday will once again expose my “areas of weakness.” Importantly, if I can’t embrace these imperfections, then I can’t expect my children to embrace them either.
So, my wish is for all of us to take some deep breaths and laugh at ourselves, and know that most of the time, the story book holiday or social media image of the holiday doesn’t represent the full experience.
How can it be that we are on the brink of welcoming in 2020? Think about where you were in 2010 and where you are a decade later. Life has brought us surprises (both good and bad). We have endured and overcome so many of our challenges. We have had numerous celebrations as well!
In the few weeks that remain in 2019, I look forward to reminiscing and being grateful for the many gifts and celebrations that I’ve experienced over the last year and prepare for this new year and new decade.
I would like to start the year with a grateful approach and the hope of accepting myself and others as they are. Let this be the year and the decade that we become less critical of each other and more willing to look for joy and laughter in our lives.
That being said, I just might need to remind myself of this blog post as I’m driving around in Denver traffic over the next few days!
Wishing all of you a fun-filled and happy holiday season!