The Most Wonderful Time of the Year?

The truth is, the holiday season can be the most stressful time of the year.

We take our already-too-filled schedules and far-too-busy lives, then try to pack them even fuller with holiday tasks, traditions, and events. Elaborate meals, parties, gifts for teachers, baked goods for neighbors, just-one-more-present for everybody, trying to make sure it’s a perfectly magical time for everyone (except ourselves, obviously...).

It’s no wonder this can become an anxiety-induced 2-3 months. (That can then take the rest of the year to recover from financially!)

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Just like we can simplify the rest of our lives, we pave the way to a stress-free holiday season and make them truly meaningful.

It’s So Easy to Get Caught Up in the More-Is-Better Hoopla

Full disclosure: for me, the Christmas Season is the most wonderful time of the year. 

Even for this minimalist (who LOVES Christmas), it is so easy to slip into the more, more, more thinking. This kind of thinking is pervasive in our culture every day, so it’s really not surprising that it’s doubly so during the holidays.

We shop and find one “tiny” extra thing for this person, one more gift for that person. Oh yeah, we need to make the 5 different types of cookies, because hubby’s favorite is lemon, daughter’s favorite is chocolate, we HAVE to make grandma’s recipe, and so on. Can’t forget the cards for 50 people we barely speak to. Omg, I forgot stocking stuffers - again! (How do I forget this every year?!)

So. Many. Things.

But when we wake up to the day after Christmas, we might find relief is the biggest feeling - did we even enjoy the season? Or was it non-stop, caffeine-fueled go-go-go for the last 6-12 weeks? And only now we can breathe.

Was it all about buying and gifting? Or did you get to be present and have a meaningful time with the people who matter most to you?

Believe it or not, you have a choice in how the holiday stress affects you (or not!)

Envision What You Really Want

Like a lot of our work here at Amanda Olivia, we begin with a vision….

Give yourself a few minutes to create a vision of the stress-free holidays that will fill up your heart and soul. Grab a notebook and pen. 

Take a moment to get centered and quiet within yourself. Imagine this holiday season is all about you. Leave cultural and familial expectations at the door. Just for now, let this just be about you.

Create Your Holiday Mantra

Close your eyes and feel into the holiday season of your vision. Feel the feelings of it now.

Using the themes and feelings of your stress-free holiday season fill in the brackets below to create your holiday mantra.

• “This holiday season, I am focused on [insert theme here] and feeling [insert feelings here]. I choose to let go of anything that hinders that.”

Example: “This holiday season, I am focused on quality time with my immediate family and feeling peace and joy. I choose to let go of anything that hinders that.”

Write it down in your notebook. Add it to your calendar as a reminder a few times a week - or even every morning throughout the season.

Let this become your mantra for the holiday season.

Decide

Close your eyes one more time and feel into the holiday season of your vision. Feel the feelings of it now.

Notice what is included in your vision for stress-free holidays…. And what isn’t.

Take another good, full breath. Now, recite your mantra. 😉

“This holiday season, I am focused on [theme] and feeling [feeling]. I choose to let go of anything that hinders that.”

This is your mantra throughout the whole season - not just for holiday-related things, but for anything that takes time and energy that might get in the way of your vision and desired feelings.

As you navigate the holiday stress, you get to choose what to include and what does not get to make the cut, based on your vision and the magical mantra you’ve created.

You - and only you - are in control of your life. Yes, there are other people to consider. But as an autonomous, brilliant human with free will, you get to decide what kind of a life you get to live.

And that includes what kind of holiday season you wish to experience.

Before you choose anything this holiday season, decide to do the things that fill up your heart and soul. The things in your vision. The things that give you the feelings you most want to feel this holiday season. Let these be the only things that you actually “must” do. Let everything else be optional. Yes, everything.

You hereby have permission to let go of whatever does not support your vision.

Some of our holiday “must do’s” are self-imposed (making extra cookies for the mail carrier and sending out cards to everyone on our contact list). Others are imposed on us by those we care about (visiting family across the country and attending 3 Christmas dinners).

You don’t have to do everything.

Realize that when you say yes to one thing, it might mean saying no to another, so that you can have a holiday season filled with joy, and not stress.

Simplify

You’re allowed to let have a stress-free holiday and let it all be be simple. You're allowed to say ‘no’ as a way to beat the holiday blues. You’re allowed to have priorities and let go of what does not align with them.

I know, this might all sound grand (or maybe super stressful!) in theory. So here are some examples of what this might actually look like in real life.

Let’s say my vision of an ideal holiday season boils down to this mantra:

“This holiday season, I am focused on creating magic for those closest to me. I want us all to feel love, peace, and joy.”

Ask yourself, what do I need in order for me to experience my vision and these feelings? What do I not need?

I know that in order for me to feel peace, love, and joy, I need: plenty of time, things to be simple, and to not to feel rushed or overburdened. And I know in order for me to create magic, I need time and energy to be intentional. So my keys to my stress-free holiday season are to keep my schedule light and to be selective about which tasks I choose.

We’ll have to say no to some people and invitations. And we’ll have to say no to ourselves.

Practically, you might choose to host one dinner for your closest friends and family, rather than going to 3 different ones. You may have to say, “Thank you so much for the invitation, but I’m keeping this holiday season very simple so I can focus on [insert theme or feelings here]. I wish you and your family a joyful holiday!”

When a to-do enters your sphere, just ask yourself, does this support my holiday vision? Does this get in the way or go beyond the vision? Simply return to your mantra and that it be your guide.

Ready for next steps? In Part 2 of the series, you’ll learn how to turn that vision into a reality. How do we actually apply our vision and decisions into a simplified season? The next and final steps to cope with holiday stress and creating holidays filled with joy are to plan, enjoy, and be present. Read it here.

To the magic of the season, 

Amanda Olivia | Your Magical Bestie 💫 
🪄You can Be, Do, + Have ANYTHING you want.
Book now to get your Magical Bestie to guide you.