This week there was an article in USA Today advocating celebrating Christmas in full force only every 5 years. The writer's theory is there is so much stress and hassle, this would be a welcome relief. If I could meet him face to face I'd tell him "you're missing point". The purpose of Christmas is not to "spend time you don't have to buy gifts you can't afford for people you don't like" or to "run yourself ragged trying to fit in every conceivable holiday activity under the sun".
A brief refresher- the purpose of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Jesus. That's it. How we do it is up to us. There is great freedom in that. Freedom is the ability to do what we want, but often people forget it's also the ability to not do what doesn't work for us.
If the thought of the Christmas season makes you feel like Scrooge, now is the time to stop. Stop doing what you don't like, what makes you broke, what doesn't bring you joy. Take some time to figure out what Christmas traditions you do enjoy and/or what things you've always wanted to try but never done. Do those. As for the rest, ditch them. Yes, this activity may well create some stress, especially if it impacts your friends, family, etc. Be up front with them, and be willing to have an honest dialogue, even it's difficult. The author mentions encountering this phenomenon toward the end of the article. Sometimes we get stuck on doing things because they are "tradition", even if no one really likes doing them. Remember, it used to be "tradition" to bleed people for ailments, but they stopped doing that too.
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