10 Ways to Keep Your Expectations From Making You Crazy This Christmas
Pamela Cole Harris
Christmas is a wonderful time! Everyone is full of good cheer,
the milk of human kindness and 20 pounds of candy. All gifts are given with
love, are exactly the right size, are exactly the right color, or exactly the
right thing for exactly the price you could afford. Right?
Well, if YOUR Christmas seems to fall short every year, here are
some ways to keep your sanity and enjoy the unexpected joys that the season
brings.
1. News Flash! You are not perfect! Nor is your family! Give up
the myth that they should be!
2. Don't make the season complicated! Simplify! While elaborate
decorations may appeal to your decorating ego, putting them up takes time and
energy that may be best spent elsewhere this Christmas.
3. Everything doesn't have to be homemade. Pies, cakes and
cookies are perfectly acceptable if they are bought at a bakery. And your
children just might celebrate if you decide not to make that knitted scarf this
year!
4. Relax. Take time out from the hustle and bustle to just sit
with a cup of tea or cocoa and read. Or take a long hot bath. If you take some
time for yourself, you will be better able to cope with the holiday chaos.
5. Let other people pitch in. You are not the only one who can
do Christmas! Ask someone to do tasks you usually do, such as make the eggnog or
cookies. And then LET THEM DO IT - even if they don't do it just the way you
want! Don't constantly look over their shoulder.
6. Don't make the season an ordeal for your children by
expecting perfect behavior. Children can easily be overloaded with the food,
sights, expectations and social whirlwind of the season. Again, simplify for
their sake - and yours!
7. If you can afford to hire a cleaning service before company
comes for Christmas, do it! Give it to yourself as a Christmas present! You will
enjoy the season more because you won't be worn out from scrubbing that tile
with a toothbrush!
8. If you can't afford to pay cash for a gift, wait until next
year to buy it. Save for the gift in the meantime. The short term thrill of
buying the gift will be more than overpowered by the struggle to pay it off
months into the new year.
9. Get out of the house and walk when you begin to feel stress.
It will help you calm down and keep off those extra pounds. And it will give
your family a break from you!
10. Don't do guilt - to yourself and others. Don't use your
expectations of the season as a weapon against your friends and family. Enjoy
what comes this season. It may not be what you expected - it may be better!
And remember - love doesn't come wrapped in paper, or tied with
a bow. You can't get it for $19.95 if you call now or for two easy payments of
only. You name the price. But love is but in the corners of a small child's
smile, the twinkle of a father's eye or the drape of an arm across your
shoulder. If you are expecting something else, you just might fail to recognize
it! How crazy!
Pamela Cole Harris is an editor and writer with 35 years experience. Visit her
website,
http://www.homeandgardenmakeover.com, for her unique view of home decorating
and remodeling (and a free monthly newsletter!). Or for original content unique
to your website, written especially for your keywords and your audience, visit
http://www.pamelacoleharris.com .