How to Stop Hating the Holiday Season
We are in the busiest time of the year – and this is for people who love the holidays. Travel, spending, family dynamics: Year-end celebrations can make the Grinch out of anyone. Here’s how you can plunge into the holiday atmosphere without learning from various ghosts.
Like many other things in life, the holidays are something that requires you to work if you want to return something. If you really don’t want to do this work, I take off my hat to you. But if you’re just stumped and out of inspiration, here are some tips for learning how to enjoy the rest of the year.
Have a clear start
For me, a lot of Christmas and New Years are a ceremony. I thank family, friends, year of achievement and new beginnings thanks to the same old archaic behavior. Yes, this is elementary, but at a young age it was hard-coded in my brain that the smell of pine and tree lights means a period of joy and peace – until the fights over dinner break out.
In the years when I did not observe the ceremony early, the spirit did not come; on the day he still had no appetite or gift. Bet on hanging out with things that bring fond memories or pleasure to you at this time of year. Lifehacker staff shared how they infiltrate the season: visit your decorated city center, make cocoa and add some peppermint oil, visit the area where everyone is covering their homes with Christmas gifts, go to places where Christmas music is playing, put up a Christmas tree, watch Branded channel. Let your brain know it’s time .
Survive the parties alone
During the holidays, there is a lot of communication, which is difficult for many. If you love them, you probably have your own strategies for getting through work parties and obligatory celebrations in as good a mood as the occasion calls for. For everyone else: drink less than you think you need, allow yourself to go away when you need to, and be sure to plan a night at home alone somewhere to rest, relax, and recharge for the next round.
Taking the time to yourself will make it easier for you to conduct your activities and meetings. It’s easy to get caught up in society, and in part because you’re Scrooge, it might just be exhaustion. Check yourself physically and mentally. You don’t have to hate the holidays! You just need to take a nap.
Plan business with your friends
Let’s face it, the hardest part of a vacation can be your family. How much you can avoid unpleasant dynamics may not be up to you – or you don’t think so. So make sure to also plan things out with the people you like, if that doesn’t apply to the people you are associated with. Even if you love your family and they are perfect, friends can celebrate in a different way. One writer says that friends’ plans are a huge part of her year-end ceremonies:
Before December comes, my friends and I start planning meals for every weekend in December, either at my house or at their place. I like it. This is more Christmas than anything I do with my family because we all strive to say one hurray before we move into the new year.
Receive gifts in advance
I panic a shopper, which means I spend too much money on the wrong things every year. I may never know, but it is true that if you receive gifts in advance, you are much less likely to experience stress. Do yourself a favor and make this naughty and enjoyable list as soon as possible. Damn it, wrap these gifts on Black Friday. You will be as cool as a cucumber on Christmas morning.
Plan things for the quiet time
For me, one of the hardest parts of the whole shebang is the quiet time between Christmas and New Years, because I’m a maniac who loves being active. This week always puts me on a spiral – people leave town in a food coma and everything is closed. If anything, it seems that way, but if you put in the effort to find events and other things to do, you can avoid that depressive recession that some (ahem) fear. Go ice skating, visit a museum, exercise class or a movie marathon. Just find a reason to leave home and remind yourself that the year is not over yet.
Pick him up from town
Perhaps your best bet is to just avoid the usual holiday hype and walk away. Take off the cabin, head to an island that’s warm enough to put on a bikini; Even on a day off, the time may feel like yours again, as one of the staff members said:
My boyfriend and I have a Christmas tradition where a few weeks before Christmas we rent a hotel in the city center for one night. Usually there is a beautiful Christmas tree growing in the lobby, and the city center is beautiful and decorated, and we can have a stress-free vacation together in private before things get crazy on Christmas Day.
Do something for someone else
Okay, you’ve tried everything and still hate everything that happens from the end of November to January. Fair! There is clearly a market for all of these Grinch reboots. But that doesn’t mean everything has to be completely washed up: instead of pouting at home, do something for someone else. Volunteer, donate, give your time and money to people who need it. It may not make you feel better, but it will cheer up someone else.