How To Survive Christmas
A few tips and tricks in making the best Christmas experience possible.
It's no question that the Christmas season is one of the busiest times of the year. It seems as soon as December 1st comes, everyone feels the pressure to do a million things before Christmas Day arrives. Most people spend the days leading up to Christmas doing at least one of the following: shopping, baking, wrapping gifts, decorating, and spending time with family and friends. With all of these different activities going on, a person can become overwhelmed pretty quickly. In an effort to make the most out of the Christmas season and keep your sanity, here are some tips:
Remember the reason for the season.
I feel like people begin to become overwhelmed when they start focusing on the other aspects of Christmas, rather than its true meaning. It is perfectly okay to want to do as much as possible and make others happy, but also remember that the true meaning of Christmas isn't about gifts or parties. When things start becoming too much, just sit back and remind yourself of the true meaning of Christmas and reassure yourself that everything will work out.
Take a break.
Between all of the Christmas shopping, gift wrapping and seeing friends and family, take some time for yourself. It's easy to get too involved in all of the Christmas festivities and run yourself down. An easy way to not overdo it during Christmas is taking a time out for a while. You can do this by taking a relaxing bath, reading a good book, or even just sitting or laying down and closing your eyes. Giving yourself a break during the Christmas craziness is definitely a must.
Appreciate family time.
One of the best parts about the Christmas season is how it brings families together, which is personally my favorite aspect of Christmas. It allows me to see the majority of my family members. Since everyone is so busy with their own lives during the year, Christmas allows people to take a break from work and from life, and make seeing family and friends a priority. However, with all of this wonderful family time, it can become a little much for some people, and they begin not to appreciate family as much. My word of advice regarding this situation is just to remember that quality time spent with family is few and far between and instead of dreading it, you should make the most of every minute you have.
Make a game plan.
With all of the different Christmas activities going on, making a plan and staying organized is crucial. If you have anything to do for work or school, make a list of everything you need to get done before returning to the grind after the new year. After you understand what things you need to get done during your time off, you can start making plans with family and friends. Reach out to your family and friends and start making plans with everyone's schedules and obligations in mind. This task can also be easier said than done because everyone is busy around this time. However, don't get discouraged and just try your best to see as many family and friends as possible.
Honor family members who are no longer with you.
One thing my family does every Christmas is honor the ones we have lost. I think this is a very important part of Christmas, to honor and spend time with all family members. As far as how to honor your family members you have lost, that's up to you and can be done in many different ways. My family, for example, takes photos of family members that have passed to our Christmas party and for us to look at and reflect on. Something that me, my mom, and grandmother always do is visit our family members graves and take them red flowers and other things representing the Christmas season. These are just two out of many ideas as to how to honor your past family members for Christmas.
Christmas can be a lot to handle with so many things going on at one time. I hope that these tips help make your Christmas season a little more manageable and enjoyable. Merry Christmas!!
Part of our outdoor holiday display.Allie Slagter
Tinsel Moose!Allie Slagter
Our Christmas tree in 2016 (aka we've only gotten more ornaments). Allie Slagter
Grinch cookies on the left and sugar cookies on the right.Allie Slagter 
Chocolate cake pops I made for school senior year. Allie Slagter
Cutout and decorated brownies instead of cookies. Since no one in my family is a huge sugar cookie fan, when I saw this on Pinterest I knew we had to try it. Allie Slagter
The gifts I wrapped last year. I took a lot of pictures…and told everyone to appreciate the wrapping before tearing in. Allie Slagter
My brother and I last year; it really captures our relationship. Allie Slagter
Me in my natural element…and what happens when my brother takes the camera and says he needs to get all the angles. Allie Slagter
Merry Christmas everyone!Allie Slagter
