By Guest Columnist/Blogger, Nancy Pritchard, Certified Life Mastery Consultant
The Not So Big Christmas Project– Day 3
The Family Meeting
Now that you’ve had some time to discover what you would love more of and less of this holiday season, it’s time to share your ideas with your immediate family. If you’re single, you can share this exercise with your nearest and dearest – or not!
The simplest, most honest explanation is usually the best. Something like, “I would love to enjoy a meaningful holiday season with you this year. I’ve been feeling anxious about December approaching for years now, and I don’t want to feel stressed and exhausted during the holidays anymore. I’d like to do some things differently, just for this year. I’d love to hear some of your ideas as well.”
‘Just for this year’ can help take the sting out of the thought that you’re planning to change Christmas forever and always.
There may be some compromising and some happy surprises that arise during this family meeting. Examples may include:
*You’ve decided you really don’t want to set up your artificial Christmas tree this year. Your teenagers love the tree, so they promise to decorate it if you’ll agree to bring it down from the attic and set it up.
*You’ve decided not to bake those cookies for the church bake sale (see Day 2). Your sister says that she’d be happy to take on that project if you’ll do her reading at the Christmas Eve service this year. You’re both delighted to swap roles for the season!
*You’ve decided you’re not buying gifts for every person in the extended family. Your husband, with a huge sigh of relief, happily agrees to support that decision.
*Your Aunt Susie’s loud, crowded, obligatory party? None of you can stand the thought of attending. You decide as a family to bow out this year.
The beauty of ‘Just for this year’ leaves you with the option to add things in the future that you might miss doing this holiday (you might miss buying gifts for the family) and the option to take away things that continue to stress you out (Next year, the KIDS can drag the Christmas tree down from the attic!)
