5 Ways to Make the Most out of the Holiday Season
Growing up as a jew who never received 8 Hanukkah presents a year (yes mom and dad I’m still salty about that) I always loved the holiday season regardless. There is something about the holidays that brings me glee. Even though we didn’t celebrate Christmas, it would bring us closer together since there was literally nothing else we could do, everywhere would be closed!
However, not everyone feels the same as I do. The Holiday season is a strange time. You either love it or you hate it. For those of us that love it the holidays can be a great time filled with joy and happiness. For others, it can be a time of loneliness, stress and even self-pity. Here are 5 ways to help you not only get through the holiday season, but make the most of it:
1. Be Selfless
The holidays shouldn’t be about YOU. I know, I know, bummer.
Often times, if we approach things with a self-centered mentality, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment. This year, don’t focus on yourself, but rather on other people.
Appreciate how the holidays help so many people that are able to get a much-needed break from work and spend time with their loved ones. If you want to take it a step further, go out of your way this holiday season to help fulfill the needs and wishes of others. Put more of an emphasis on volunteering, donate to charity or toy drives, and do things that will help spread that ‘holiday cheer’.
Once we stop focusing on ourselves and focus on how we can best serve others, we will be happier. It’s a pretty simple concept:
Doing good things feels good.
2. Don’t focus on Gifts
Some of us love to give and receive gifts. For others, it can be very stressful and just add to the holiday’s woes and worries. Personally, I fall into the latter category. I am not a good gift giver by any means. I never know what to get somebody. Receiving gifts is almost worse as it can feel a bit awkward and I don’t get that same level of excitement as I know many others do.
Some people excel at gift giving. My ex-girlfriend was an amazing gift giver. She would listen carefully and know exactly what someone needed; things that you would barely even remember telling her in passing. It was pretty impressive. I am pretty sure getting the perfect gift for somebody energized her.
If you are like my ex and love the gifting part of the holidays, by all means go for it! That’s great. But if you are more like me and it stresses you out, don’t focus on gifts this year. Get something simple and move on. There is so much more to the holidays then what you can or can’t afford to buy somebody.
3. Lower Your Expectations
Why do we get angry? Generally, it happens when reality doesn’t meet our expectations. Now, it is okay to have expectations for things. You should have certain expectations for important aspects of your life such as your spouse, your friends, your career…
But not for the holidays. Let your expectations be low. Or even drop them completely. Don’t have your holiday season be dependent on if you receive that certain gift this year (*cough* PS5) or if your in-laws do/say that annoying thing you hate. The holidays are really what you make of it. If you approach them with a positive attitude and are willing to go with the flow, you will have a lot more fun and a lot less stress.
4. Spend Time with Others
Arguably the toughest thing to do on this list, since it is not completely in your control. Covid will make this even more difficult as less people will be able to travel to spend time with their families and friends. Most people’s sadness during the holidays stem from a feeling of loneliness. If you are feeling down, try to surround yourself with people who love you. Even if it’s virtual through Zoom or FaceTime, or just a phone call. Even a couple of back-and-forth text messages are enough for some people. Take the time to let the people who are important in your life know just how important they are. It will make them feel amazing, and it will make you feel better also!
5. Sit with Your Feelings and Accept Them
Some people feel sad and depressed during the holidays. If this is you, one thing you should try to do is set some time aside and become one with your feelings. If you are feeling down, that’s totally fine. After all, 2020 has been a tough year for everyone. Sit with your feelings, recognize what emotions you are feeling and why you are feeling them. Then, accept that you are feeling this way. Often times, just the act of recognizing what is going on in our minds at a deeper level is enough to motivate us to take action and feel slightly better about the situation.
Happy Holidays,
Eric
