If any part of the holiday season is beginning to overwhelm you, I want to offer you a word of encouragement.
You don’t have to do it all.
Just in case you need me to say it again with other words, it’s okay to let go of some things. In fact, it’s probably healthy.
Maybe you need to let go of some events on the calendar.
Maybe you need to let go of some expectations you have.
Maybe you need to let go of comparing yourself to what other families are doing.
Right now on my Instastories I am posting our family’s daily advent calendar. It’s an adorable kindness calendar I got from Mail Your Mark. You are welcome to join us and do 24 kind acts…but you know what else? You’re welcome to say that one more thing on your plate is exactly what will push you over the edge and you cannot join us. Both are fine.
While I may have agreed to this 24 day challenge, I have also accepted that our Christmas pajamas are going to clash because the kids disagreed with my choices, and I’m letting that one go. I’ve also accepted that because we are going out of town for Christmas during a year they are getting physically large items…the whole Santa thing is going to be whacky and may not go over well on Christmas Day. Oh well.
Ya know how I am managing all these small details?
I have released all the expectations that anything will go well.
I am committed to picking my priorities, doing the best I can and being unattached to how others respond.
Yesterday we took our kids to an evening Christmas event that went past bedtime. It was adorable and fun, until it ended up in meltdowns and us physically carrying our children to the cars for two blocks.
I didn’t even stress. Wanna know why? I never told myself it was going to go well. I just said it mattered to me to go.
So here is your reminder, in case you need it this holiday season…..you can lower your expectations.
Do you have family members that don’t get along and are all going to be together at Christmas? Maybe just don’t expect them to get along.
Do your kids go crazy after sugar…maybe don’t expect them to go to bed on time.
Last year we tried to introduce Home Alone to our daughter and she said it was too scary and we had to turn it off. Although it was a bit disappointing I must say, it was also whatever.
This is supposed to be the happiest time of year, but we often allow it to be the most frustrating time of year by stretching ourselves too thin, setting expectations too high and comparing ourselves to other families.
Today, the message on my heart was to remind you of this message….let it go. Whatever your “it” is. You don’t have to be or do it all.
With gratitude,
Sophia Hyde