The holidays are a time for festivities, for looking back at the past year and looking forward to the new year in a relaxed, joyous atmosphere.
And if you're like me most years, you wonder what planet this is on, and who these aliens are who celebrate like this, because it sure as heck isn't here.
I'm better about the holidays than I was in my 20s and 30s (and even part of my 40s), but it takes effort on my part to do this.
On a whim, I googled “holiday fatigue” and it's actually a real thing. Following a study from the National Alliance of Mental Illness, nearly two-thirds of people who suffer from some kind of mental illness find that the holidays make it worse.
And there are stressors outside of mental illness that make for hectic holidays. For me it's being a church musician, and lingering regret associated with bonehead moves I've made during previous holidays.
Whatever particular brand of holiday baggage you may be carrying around, the purpose of all of this is to tell you it's okay not to go full-bore on the holidays — not just for your wallet, but for your sanity.
Enough with the gifts already
I don't want gifts, and I'm not really that interested in buying gifts. It fatigues me to think about these things, honestly.
I've gotten precisely one gift so far and it cost a dollar from Goodwill. The dollar gift was a coffee mug for one of our daughter's BFFs and it had a dinosaur that had just eaten another dinosaur and was foodbooking it. (Once I find something that interests a person, I'll give gifts on that theme until they tell me to stop. I think my sister finally told me enough with the giraffes.)
(To be fair, this doesn't count the vehicle we got mostly out of necessity for our daughter, and a piece of art that matched something we'd been wanting to get for years.)
My Mom asked my wife what I want for Christmas. I answered that I don't want anything, except to see her.
My daughter asked what I want for Christmas. I told her just to come home in one piece.
We are able to get pretty much what we want, when we want it.
There's no reason to blow a wad of cash in December out of obligation to anyone or anything, unless you want to.
Enough with decorations and dinner
We're having some people over for dinner on Christmas evening. We're doing fondue which isn't exactly low-prep but it's probably less prep than a traditional Christmas dinner.
As far as Christmas decorations go, less is more. Some other families we know regularly detonate Christmas in their house and elsewhere so completely that it would put Buddy Hobbs to shame. Another family we know has more holiday inflatables in their front lawn than a blow-up doll factory. I joked to my wife that if these particular people came over to dinner before the holidays were over, they would get really depressed.
We have a few lights and garlands in the foyer and living room and that's pretty much it — except for the hedgehog nativity scene we threw together on a whim in remembrance of the birth of the baby Sonic.
There's no reason to blow a wad of cash on decorations you see for one month out of the year, and absolutely no reason to slay a roast beast, unless you want to.
Focus on what matters to you
This time is a good time to reflect on what's important to you. Things that we may take for granted throughout the year, but definitely aren't for granted. They're a blessing and a gift.
(Note: your list will probably be different, and that's all right! No judgment. These are just things we're personally thankful for around this time.)
A roof over our heads
Having a climate-controlled, dry, protected space to call home is something we may not give a lot of thought to after a hard day, but this is something to be thankful for. Bonus points that we can decorate it inside and outside without getting approval from an HOA.
Relatively good health
Could my health be better? Of course. But I can still walk around unassisted and still have my wits about me for the most part. (Don't ask my wife about this though, haha!) Got some high blood pressure and high blood sugar going on, and need to shed some weight, but it could be far worse. Minor inconveniences compared with what some people we know are going through that are much younger than myself.
A good job
With insurance. Oh my gosh, the insurance. The prescriptions for my ailments (4 daily pills plus other equipment) are $4/month total out of pocket. I'd have to think long and hard before trading that for something else.
Relative peace
I kind of stay away from the news but I do know enough that there are real wars going on that are all too real for those in the middle of them. Combat is a foreign concept, literally and figuratively. What kind of price tag does that have?
Spiritual matters
As Christians, we celebrate Christmas. Others celebrate other things and get in touch with spiritual matters perhaps more so during this time of the year than others. Setting aside the “trimmings and trappings” this is the real reason for the season.
