A group of my college roommates planned a little mini-reunion recently. I was so excited to spend a weekend laughing, tailgating, and just hanging out with all of them. The weekend was to start with dinner out Friday night, spending the night at one of the old roommate’s houses, tailgating, attending the game together Saturday, and then just hanging out and laughing the rest of the weekend. I could not wait to go! I even bought a new team sweatshirt to wear, complete with sequin footballs!
The day before I was supposed to leave town, the stress of everything that I felt like I had to do before I left started to overwhelm me. I was dealing with pressing magazine deadlines and a house needing to be cleaned (I hate coming home to a mess), and I had no idea what to pack with the fickle weather. My excited mood quickly changed to the point that I just didn’t know if I could do it. I needed everything to be “just so” before I was able to relax and have fun.
Why do we do that to ourselves? Why do we overthink and overcomplicate things? Why do we strive for “perfection” when there really is no such thing? If you are like me, you may find yourself doing that more often than you would like, especially around the holidays. In an attempt to make everything magical for everyone else, we end up losing our own joy.
Even sadder, many of the things we stress over don’t even matter to those around us. If this sounds like you, I invite you to join along with me and put into practice Christa Melnyk Hines’s 10 Commandments for More Holiday Cheer. In Hines’s feature, you will find some helpful reminders of things we can do to trade the “have to do” list for a “get to do” list. A great first place to start is outsourcing some of the cooking. There are some great places to help with holiday meals, treats, and more.
And since we won’t be stressing over pressed napkins or perfectly wrapped presents, that means we will have a lot more time to enjoy some of the fun things this holiday season has to offer, and boy, are you in the right place to find holiday activities. In this issue, you will find our annual Holiday Happenings, which is a list of tree lightings, Santa sightings, holiday shows, and much more! And to make sure you don’t run out of fun ideas for family time, this month’s issue also includes Pam Molnar’s feature, An Advent Calendar of Family Fun.
When I first read Molnar’s feature, I was so excited. These suggestions are definitely going on the fridge, and I am already gathering supplies to make them happen! As if those resources are not enough, you will also find some wonderful community activities in the Family Calendar.
With all that being said, I do hope that you will join me this holiday in trying to be ok with “good enough.” Admittedly, it will be hard for me, but I am going to try and just enjoy the process and all of the good things this season has to offer. Being overtired and stressed opens the door to missing some really wonderful moments. Oh, and yes, I did go on the trip, and I had an amazing weekend with some even more amazing friends!
Author: Lynn Knighton
Lynn has called the Mobile Bay area home since 2006 with her husband Brad and their 3 daughters. Following the sale of her Abrakadoodle franchise, Lynn still wanted to serve families and help them thrive. Becoming the Publisher of Mobile Bay Parents was the perfect opportunity. Now she invests into family's lives each month by providing the with the area's #1 go-to resource for moms and dads.
