Give Yourself a Gift This Holiday Season

It's that time of year again when our thoughts are filled with holiday planning, parties, shopping, travel and family traditions. Most of us will over-eat, over-party and over-spend in our attempt to capture the holiday magic. In addition to our regular schedule, we'll manage to squeeze in card writing, shopping, decorating, party and meal planning, gift-wrapping and more. We'll bundle everyone into the car and visit all the neighborhood light displays. Then come home and watch our favorite Christmas movies. Bake cookies, fudge and pies. Go caroling with friends. Then head out to the tree farm for the perfect tree. We'll try to see everyone and do everything all within a two or three week period of time-all while keeping the Christmas Spirit alive and well in our hearts.

Does this sound a little stressful? With a dozen different versions of a Christmas Carol reminding us of how we should behave and what is expected of us during this glorious time of year, we vow to do whatever is necessary to make this year the best darn Christmas ever! No wonder we fall victim to the urgency of the seasonal demands and neglect our self-care routines. Too often, meditation, exercise and personal downtime are shoved aside in our efforts to accomplish an unreasonable amount of activities. Just when we need these self-care rituals the most, they're usually the first things to fall by the wayside. Give yourself the precious gift of time-- and take care of just you for at least a few minutes each day. If you don't build up a reserve for yourself, you won't have anything left for others.

Be realistic about how much you can fit into your free time without blowing your time and energy budgets. You may decide to choose only a few of your favorite holiday traditions instead of frantically tying to fit them all in. This may mean attending one or two less parties if necessary or scaling down the decorating (and save electricity), baking fewer homemade goodies or, when possible, sending gift certificates instead of gifts. There is less to buy, wrap and mail that way. After all, it really is about the Spirit of the season, and that is kept in a soft and warm place in your heart.