By Nancy A. Pritchard, Life Mastery Consultant
The eighth in the series (There’s a Blog 0 back there somewhere…)
The Not So Big Christmas – Day 7
Protect Your Precious Resources – Your Time
Ah, time. Our only non-renewable resource. It’s amazing how quickly we can fritter it away, especially when ‘friends are calling’ in December, asking us to join them for this holiday event or at that holiday party. And, you simply CAN’T miss the office party, or the church’s cantata, or the get together at the club, or the caravan to the light display that’s 2 ½ hours from home! No wonder Santa arrives at the mall before Thanksgiving now. We simply don’t have time to see him in December!
Crazy as it can be, these excessive offers and expectations will always be part of the holiday season. It’s how we choose to respond to them that matters.
Yesterday we considered setting a monetary budget for the holidays. Today, why not consider…a time budget!
This process doesn’t have to be complicated. Go back to the Days 1, 2 and 3 of this blog series. If you’ve been following the series, you’ve already created a list of things that you would love and a list of things you’d rather avoid this holiday season. And you’ve gotten your family to weigh in with their opinions as well. (If you haven’t done these things, I encourage you to consider them.)
Then, set some limits for your holiday participation. Perhaps you decide you only want to be out two evenings per week. Just for this year, stick to your plan! Let’s say, the first week of December you’ve already (1) participated in the church’s Christmas program one evening and (2) attended a holiday open house at the home of your daughter’s dance instructor the following evening. That’s two nights. For the rest of the week, you’re staying home!
*So, when your husband and kids desperately want to go see the far-off light display with the other members of the cub scout pack, you can bow out. Choose to spend the evening baking, decorating, or just putting your feet up and doing…nothing at all that night!
*Since you’ve always dreaded your annual office party, this year you’ve decided to use the ‘just for this year’ method to bow out. This year, you ‘have another commitment,’ the night of the party. Then make that commitment something that nurtures you, whether it be spending the evening at home with your family or your best friend – OR by yourself.
It’s lovely that people think enough of you to invite you their parties and other holiday events. And it’s perfectly fine when you feel the need to say, “Thanks so much for inviting me, but I won’t be able to make it this year.”
