Make Your Holiday Season Meet More of Your Desires

The busy holiday months create lots of mixed feelings among us. Anticipation. Excitement. Avoidance. Ambivalence. Dread. There’s still time to make your holidays more enjoyable for yourself and others – seize the opportunity NOW to do that.

The first thing to do is set aside some time and create a space where you won’t be interrupted. Consider lighting a candle or two and grab a beverage you enjoy in the fall. Have pen and paper ready. OR grab this printable “Reclaim Your Holiday Season” in my Etsy Shop to make it easier. This can be a great help to you.? Reclaim Your Holiday Season?

Take some deep breaths and disconnect from what’s going on in your life right now and the activities of the day. Begin with thinking of 3 words that describe what you desire in this holiday season. Here are some examples to stimulate your thoughts: peace, celebration, quiet, festive, tradition, faith, connection, abundance, family, travel, gathering, love, gifts.

Clear Out Those Blocks That Stop You

Perhaps your busy mind will immediately start thinking of why those 3 things you most desire aren’t practical or possible. So take these steps to get those blocks out of the way – or at least weakened – and then it will be easier to figure out how to create what you want.

Make a “Dread” List. What is difficult during the holidays? Look at upcoming holidays and events. Are the “dreads” expectations of your own, or expectations of others? They may be stressors of many kinds. Write down what comes to mind and dig down. This could take some thought. You may find some ideas in this post: https://carolbrusegar.com/take-steps-reduce-holiday-stress/.?

Then tackle that list. How can specific things be modified or eliminated? Maybe it’s a simple decision on your part, or maybe it requires discussion and negotiation with others. Please consider that you may not be the only one who finds each thing difficult or frustrating or stressful. It may not be as difficult as you suppose to make modifications!

Create the Vision for Your Holiday Season

Now that you have some ideas of how to remove some of the blocks to actually having and feeling your 3 desires for this holiday season, it’s time to be more specific.

Describe in writing what experiences will provide your 3 main desires. What are the places, people, smells, tastes, sights, events. etc.? After you have a list, go back and read through it slowly and imagine how it can be. What will it be like to actually reclaim your holidays?

Words on a page are helpful; images are even more powerful. Take the next step and make a vision board which includes images from magazines or printed from the internet. Get a poster board and attach them, along with key words – big, bold versions of your 3 desires and other phrases. Post it somewhere where you will see it every day. You could also do an electronic version that will be on your computer and/or phone.

Explore Adding Hygge Features to Your Holiday Season

You’ve probably heard about Hygge; it’s become quite popular in recent years. Simply, Hygge, pronounced (Hue-gah), is a Danish word originally derived from an Old Norwegian word meaning well-being and protection from the outside elements. It has become a way of life in Scandinavian countries and is described as a feeling of coziness, comfort, familiarity, friendship, laughter and seasonal homemade food and drinks. Although it’s possible to achieve hygge any time of the year (an outdoor BBQ with friends or a movie under the stars with family are great examples of summertime hygge), Hygge is generally associated with the colder months. This is because of its ability to uplift spirits during dark, long winter months. I’ve written about it here Have a Hygge Holiday Season and Winter and you can also find multiple approaches in books on Amazon: Christmas Hygge

Engaging Others

Who are the people involved in your holidays? It’s important to engage them. Whether your vision includes them in different ways or distances you from typical plans, get them on board as much as possible. Share what you are doing to reclaim your holiday season. Suggest they do something similar. Offer alternatives to replace what they might expect of you. It can be a bit of a negotiation.

You may learn that you are not the only one who would welcome some changes. It may not be as difficult as you suppose. On the other hand, it may be challenging and you may be upsetting the apple cart. Here is where you get even more creative and figure out how to balance your desires and the expectations of others – but from the clarity you have created about what you really want.

Be sure you are not just caving to pressure. Maybe you will decide to take steps toward your vision this year and plan more for next year. You could decide to modify one part of the season and leave others as they have been for now. Others may come along over time.

As you reclaim your holidays, reflect on the impact the changes made on your own sense of peace and joy. Observe the impact on others. Share your experiences with others. May these busy months reflect the true messages and values of the events we observe. And may we be fulfilled and satisfied.

I’m Carol Brusegar, author, photographer and curator of information. My focus is on gathering and writing on topics that enhance all our lives – regardless of our age. Topics include health and wellness, personal development, innovation and creativity, and a variety of helpful, practical tools and practices.?I have a special interest in helping people over 50 years of age to create their 3rd Age – the next stage of their lives – to be the best it can be.? ? ? ?Find these and other of my books here:? ? Amazon.com/author/carolbrusegar