I’M NOT DECORATING FOR CHRISTMAS

“I love the holiday season and all it brings, except of course the stress we bring on ourselves. That we feel we have to do it all…. and on top of this mindset… we think we need to also do it perfectly.”

The famous Diane Heckler tells us to remove the pressure and the desire for perfection this year.

Oftentimes when we look back on the holidays, we tend to think of the stress, drama, weight gain, and so on. Little do we realize that we are in control of that, there are ways to avoid the intrusive stress and anxiety that comes with the holiday fiasco.

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So how do we have a merrier Christmas this year? Let’s explore four different ideas.

1. Decide What Really Makes the Holidays Special

If you are not able to answer that question quite yet, well that is totally fine. Ask friends, family, and neighbors what they think brings them the most happiness. You may get a variety of answers like,

-food

-decorating

-being with family and friends

-no work or school

-getting gifts

-receiving gifts

-holiday music

It is important to note that we are not judging what makes other individuals happy, but rather recognizing if you can relate or not. 

Once you have your list, make another list as to what makes the holidays stressful or less jolly. Some ideas may be

-crunch time at work

-crunch time at school

-being with friends or family

-picking out gifts

-overeating

-money

-decorating

Now that you see what affects you, compare those two lists by identifying what you absolutely love about the season, and filtering out what you cannot stand. 

2. Let Go of Holiday Traditions That Have No Meaning

Ask yourself this simple question: Do I really need this item or to plan this event in order to feel the Christmas spirit? 

A lot of the time we feel obligated more than anything to keep traditions going. The truth is, if it takes more stress, disappointment and headaches to follow this tradition, it may not be worth it. 

For example, my family had this tradition that involved an extended (my aunt's aunts) family getting together with pizza and a piñata. My family did not enjoy this tradition because the drive was so long and the people were pretty toxic. So, we let that tradition go. It has been three years now and the stress has already been somewhat relieved. 

“It doesn’t take a lot of strength to hold on, it takes a lot of strength to let go” (Henry Ford)<<<Click to Tweet

Another way to undecorate/declutter your life this Christmas is to literally declutter your holiday decorations. Most people try to do it after the holidays, but at that point, doesn’t it feel easier to just throw everything out and start fresh? Don’t do that! Declutter before. 

This could be fun, put on your favorite Christmas music or the least cheesy Hallmark film and get to work. 

1. Get it all out

This is the worst part but yes, get it ALL out

2. Choose a limit

Set a limit before hand as to how much you will keep

3. Purge and sort

Do a brief sort of general bins/groups things will go into

4. Final sort

Sort the sort out of them and put them in those bins

Declutter Christmas Decorations in 4 Simple Steps | School of Decorating

Depending on where you are at in your life, you may relate to this quote from Cathy Lawdanski,

“On Sunday, my husband, Tony, dutifully went up to the attic and pulled all the Christmas boxes down. I put up the tree and decorated it, all the while thinking that it was one big chore. It used to be fun when I had kids at home. We would turn up the Christmas carols full blast and get caught up in the spirit and magic of Christmas. But the kids are now grown and on their own. They have their own homes, trees, decorations, and traditions. And that’s a GOOD thing!”

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Many of us find ourselves trapped by our own holiday “must dos” that may need to fall to the wayside. 

1. Maybe it could be that you use Party City disposable paper plates instead of the 200$ china set that has to be washed perfectly. 

2. Or not making your mom’s Apple Crisp Pie because no one at your Christmas dinner will eat that anyway.

3. Or putting all your gifts in bags and not spending time wrapping them and crafting beautiful bows.

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The message here is simple. Make Christmas simple. Let go of the things that do not make sense. This may be difficult at first, but in the end it may turn out to be the best Christmas yet.