From Amanda's very early writing (1990s to early 2000s), shared as it was originally written.
Strategic
You've only got five weeks before - oh no - Christmas! Start the battle plan now! Tolerance and patience training; how to breathe under pressureÖ how to smile and laugh at the stories you have heard 9 million times before; how to cope with listening ot Christmas Carols for 5 weeks; how to feel happy as your children go off with their other parent; how to not feel lonely .
Endless christams carols
decorations
Christmas for lots of people seems to be the most stressful time of year - and always for the same reasons!
Estranged families
show appreciation to friends - buying someone
;love food and decorations/ pudding / msking cakes for friends
tradition
The battle plan should consist of heavy duty training sessions! Sessions in ttohow to be in the same room as your siblings without commiting murder; how to survive the Christmas season without cirrohsis of the liver and obesity; how to minimize missing your loved ones and etcNot to mention the concept of sending Christmas cards and buying presents! I have given up even trying to send Christmas cards - I thought I would resort to New Year cards, then it moved to Valentine's day cards to everyone I normally would have sent a Christmas card to , then Easter and now I have just given up altogether!
I've tried computerising the process - putting the names into a database and printing out labels; making lists; and keeping last years cards to remind me to whom I must send the next years! To no avail. I seem to be enthusaistically challenged in this area!
Presents are posing their own unique challenge this year. My nieces and nephews all live away from me and are growing rapidly and it's difficult to know what's 'cool' and essential in life for a ten year old! My brothers and sisters have almost everything they need or want. As do my friends! So it's a shopping safari to track down and hunt unique gifts that will bring crys of delight for people who have everything!
I have now a stored cache of gifts that I have purchased throughout the year from various spots I have visited that may form a pool of appropriate pressies. If only I could find where I stored them after the move! Have you ever done this? I strongly recommend the process of graduated purchasing - just ensure you know where you hid those gifts. It does save on last minute panic.However, here I am sitting at the hairdressers, writing this article when I mumbled some bah humbug Christmas is here again comment. To my astonishment four people piped up with how much they love Christmas! In awe, I asked what it was that they loved.
The answers ranged from it was a time to show our friends and loved ones we appreciate them; they loved cooking, the decorations, - even the carols! Others loved making puddings and culinary presents for people, shopping (they actualy loved shopping for presents and didn't look insane!); creating imaginative presents; filling stockings; the trees; the smell of pines; the fact that Christmas puts you in touch with the inner child, they even loved wrapping the presents.
Oh well, it takes all kinds
Others loved wrapping the presents
As I pondered the mystery of Christmas I realized, that like most things in life , it is an attitude. Whether Christmas is a great joy or a distressing burden is dependant on the way we view it; think about it, feel about it or what we say to ourselves about it.
@Kand what you would like, as an adult , to have as your Christmas experience. Then make it happen!
Think about the best Christmas you ever had - or all the good ones and discover the common factors - and reporduce them as much
committingcirrohsisenthusiasticallycriesactuallyrealisedour attitude that determines w. Our feelings arethen think about Andr the common factors - and repro as possible. I remember the best one I ever had was the time I bought everyone silly presents - moustaches, false bottoms, spectacles with the eyes hanging out, sparkling wigs, giant dummies, plastic teeth etc. And I spent ages writing out appropriate messages to go with each one. It was an hysterical time with great photos memories.
Why not call the family or your firends together - if you have them handy- and discuss your Christmas ideal and then make your action plan to achieve it. You still have time to make this the best one ever! Even if it means all you eat are salad rolls on the beach where you spend the whole day - if that's everyone's ideal - go for it.
It's too early to say Happy Christmas so I'll say happy planning instead!
