Recapturing the Joy of the Christmas Season

This story goes back a while but is so clear in my memory.

I was sitting at Panera Bread enjoying hot soup and coffee when I noted a seasonal first. Someone nearby was listing their New Year’s Resolutions. It wasn’t long before I heard another seasonal first, and that was, the “Holiday-I-Have-To-List.”

Do you have one of those? It’s the list that always starts with, “I have to ….” and is followed by several holiday-related items that have to be done. That list is typically accompanied by a rushed and stressed intonation that says, “I’ll never be able to get it all done.” If you listen closely, it also contains a tone that says, “I’m not really sure I want to but I have to;” and an underlying message that suggests:

“If I don’t, what kind of person am I?”

Twisted into this question of “What kind of person am I,” can be all sorts of unsettled thoughts about your value as a parent, spouse, sibling, friend, church member, business owner, etc. Add to that the compounding effect of watching what someone else is doing and thinking, “Wow, if THEY’RE doing that, shouldn’t I be, too?”

And so it goes with the “Holiday-I-Have-To-List.” A list of gifts, social events, shopping, greeting cards, meals, decorating, and volunteering; a list accompanied by an inner chatter that demands you do it all and do it all perfectly. After all, it’s Christmas.

But let’s go back now to what started the list. It started with the three simple words, “I have to ….”

Do you?

Well actually, no; you truly do not have to do any of the things on your list.

I offer instead that you create a list called the “Holiday-I-Want-To-List.” Fill that list with activities that bring you a sense of peace and joy for this magical holiday season; include things that make you happy and are the foundation of fond memories and traditions for you and your family.

For some families, it’s baking cookies together; for others, it’s time spent together with cousins, nieces, and nephews; there are other favorite holiday traditions such as attending church on Christmas Eve; watching holidays shows like Rudolph, Frosty and the Grinch; or special holiday decorating.

For my husband and I, we love decorating our home and hosting gatherings of friends and family. We enjoy holiday concerts and shows and make plans to go to at least one each year. We find one thing to do that we’ve never done before. Last year, it was a visit to Phipps Conservatory for their winter display.

Oh, and one more thing. We watch The Christmas Story on Christmas Eve. A few years back, watching this movie was another seasonal first for me. That I had never seen it before? Unbelievable I know. But now, it’s on our list of favorite holiday traditions.

It’s on our Christmas want-to list.


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Building Momentum for the New Year

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Gratitude in Difficult Circumstances