Holiday stress and expectations

What are your expectations for the holiday season?

Should you be making dozens of cookies, sending cards, planning the company holiday event, accepting every party invitation, hosting dinners, and decorating inside and out?

What are your expectations for your family?

That everyone will magically get along, want to drive around to see lights or go to a holiday performance, suddenly clean their rooms when company is coming, remain semi-sober and not be annoying, make a side for the pitch-in, or want to watch all the new Hallmark movies with buckets of popcorn and candy?

Do your expectations need some reassessment and tweaking?

Remember no judgment, only curiosity, Sunshine…

What do those things mean to you? What do they mean if they happen and if they don’t?

What are 1-3 things that are super important or meaningful to you and who would enjoy doing them with you? Maybe you do the thing with your BFF, your bookclub, or solo. They don’t *have* to be done with specific people and *shoulds* suck for everyone involved. 

Don’t force it. Find a way to make it fun for you and keep it simple.

Your family isn’t broken and you’re not a loser if your holiday doesn’t look like a Hallmark movie. 

No. One’s. Does.

So stop torturing yourself with comparison!

The ball is in your court.

Take back your power and autonomy and make the season good for you! 

You’re not in charge of making sure everyone has a good holiday.

Do what you can, have fun, and let them join you or not.

You got this, Sunshine and I’ve always got your back!