Do you feel the stress, too?  It’s the famous “I have to do it all for Christmas” stress, isn’t it?  Do the shopping and the cleaning, the baking, wrapping and entertaining.  Try to balance the budget and get each of the kids different gifts, but still give them the same number and spend the same amount!  Isn’t that’s a trick? While you’re at at, keep up with your job (also stressful at this time of year), keep in contact with friends, and remember the reason for the season.  In the midst of all of this, every magazine I pick up will have articles telling me how to have less stress during the holidays.  I don’t know about you, but it really stresses me when someone tells me to relax.  I don’t know how. Period.  I will not relax this Christmas, I will still bake more cookies than we need, and I will still work myself to a frenzy trying to get pet odors out of my carpet.

However, I do have two goals this year that I know I can do and that will make a difference.  First, I am going to get up a little earlier and give myself a longer quiet time in the morning.  I may work for a church and I may know in my head how important that quiet time is for me, but I am fully human and I still tend to rush it.  I am also resolving to keep track of the new items that come into my house during the season, whether gifts or bargains that I find when I’m actually shopping for others.  For every item that comes into my house this season, I will trash, donate, or sell at least 3 items in return.  I truly believe that excessive stuff = excessive stress.  So this season I’ll try to remember:  the cookies will be shared, the cleaning needs to be done anyway, the gifts will show love and the friendships are essential, but “stuff” does not make me happy.

November 30, 2009

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