How to Plan Holiday Activities with Memories in Mind
The holidays are upon us, which means one of three things —
1 // you are absolutely ecstatic for it and can’t WAIT for all of the holiday festivities,
2 // you’re excited for it, but also you can’t help but think about all of the things that come with it,
oorrrr
3 // you’ve already got those grinch-like hairs standing up on the back of your neck just thinking about it.
Well friend, before we continue, I want to speak to you specifically if you’re feeling those Grinch hairs growing.
Because if that has anything to do with the feeling of “there are SO many things to do! So many festivities to attend! So many gifts to wrap! So many _____ and _____ and _____!”
I want to tell you right now that there are no rules saying you need to do all of those things.
Instead, what if we looked at the season as a way that. You can have fun and NOT need to feel like you need to do allthethings, to help you to enjoy the moments that are both loud and the silent ones that you might otherwise miss?
My goal today is to help you to figure out what matters most, so that you can make the most of this holiday season.
So first off, let’s get out a piece of paper. Yes, literally. Or, choose to download this one directly below, which was designed to give you guidance as you go along to create a holiday season filled with memories that you will LOVE.
Think about the things you love the most about the holidays - then, what are the things you do not love about the holidays?
Because if you stop to notice what those little frictions are that are causing frustrations, perhaps you can then recognize that they don’t have to be that way all the time, and you can think about what you can do to make changes for them.
What are the activities you look forward to doing the most, and the crafts that you’ve seen that might just make your heart spin?
What do you want to bake, or what cookie additions do you want to avoid? (I’m looking at you, glitter sprinkles)
What is the ONE thing that you want to start, continue, or stop as a tradition, that you’ll regret if you don’t?
Because here’s the thing.
If you choose to do allthethings when it comes to holiday activities because you can, it doesn’t mean that you should. Because chances are, it won’t be nearly as fun - it’ll become a chore.
Take for example, the scene right here from Elf … I don’t know about you, but this stresses me out just even THINKING about doing all of these things in one day.
But one day where we make snow angels, and perhaps a different day with ice skating? Count me in for that!
I want to encourage you to think about the memories you want to make and the traditions you want to continue, simply by taking the time to think about it to be proactive with your time rather than reactive to what you could do, so that you can actually enjoy the season, and not simply stuff it with things to do?
Do you want to establish a tradition where each year, you put on pajamas, make hot cocoa, hop in the car, and drive around listening to holiday music while looking at the Christmas lights?
Do you want to have a night where you do nothing but watch movies all night long?
Or perhaps that you have a holiday puzzle you put together every year?
Do you want to read one chapter per day in the book of Luke in the Bible so that you can read Jesus’ entire story before Christmas Day arrives?
Think about what matters most, and don’t worry about anything else.
On a personal note, one thing that I want to do this year is have fun wrapping Christmas presents. I love wrapping and putting the thought into it, but I never allow myself enough time to actually do it. So this year, I’m doing my shopping early and then setting aside time each week to wrap slowly and steadily without needing to rush. This way, I can have fun experimenting with different wrapping styles, have fun with ribbons, with bows, with lettering on the tags, and even simply enjoy it.
Sidenote: if you want some fun gift wrapping ideas, see this highlight on our Instagram feed here!
To close things out, I want to share this with you.
There are no rules saying that you need to do everything or even anything special or out of your normal routine for the holidays.
If you make a bucket list and have 28 things written down but only end up doing 2, that’s okay!
And if you write ideas down and end up doing none of them at all, that’s okay too!
Think about what matters most in your life, in your season, for your holiday to make it significant in the way that you want it to for this season, and let everything else go.
When you stop looking outward at what everyone else is doing and simply think about what matters most to you, everything changes.
So put your holiday blinders on and make it merry, in a way that works well for YOU.
Now, I’m off to watch Serendipity and add Cool Yule with Louis Armstrong as I sing it along (aka the best holiday song that’s ever been written) to my Holiday Memories list.
Happy Holidays!