Cycle of holiday stress
Thanksgiving was a perfectly lovely day at my house. I am relieved that the morning sickness has been largely absent for several weeks now and I was able to strap on the feedbag yesterday. For a lot of women, holidays seem to be more of a source of stress than of joy. I want to do what I can to make sure that my daughter doesn't feel compelled to fall into this trap that even I have found myself in during recent years. Notes to self for holidays in the future:
*Be sure to spend more time in front of the TV (or otherwise relaxing) than you do in the kitchen. Just because Grandma woke up at 4 in the morning on Thanksgiving to put the turkey in the oven and make the mincemeat and pumpkin pies from scratch doesn't mean that you have to. With the help of Reynolds turkey roasting bags, Stove Top Stuffing, Potato Buds, brown and serve rolls, and Mrs. Smith's apple and pumpkin pies, I am happy to say that I have my Thanksgiving kitchen time down to less than an hour or so, including the time to rinse the turkey and get it in the oven.
*Don't make a big deal about cleaning the house for guests. This is also a habit I had picked up from visiting extended family -- everyone's house was always so spotless, like a model home. Throw some blue stuff in all the toilets, run a vacuum quickly over the floor, make sure all of your sensitive financial documents are hidden, and call it a day.
*Don't send Christmas cards to everyone you have ever met. I get Christmas cards from all corners of the country and sometimes feel compelled to have all of these people on my mailing list too. Buying cards and stamps, writing personalized messages, and addressing the envelopes can kill an entire weekend afternoon. Just let the important people in your life know that you care about them throughout the year (through emails and phone calls and whatnot) and they won't miss the card.
*Don't worry too long about what gifts to get people. If your loved one mentions something they would like to have, make a mental or actual note so that you can maximize the chances of giving something that they want. But you'll only cause resentment if you search too long or think too hard about it, because chances are they aren't putting that much thought into your gift at all.
*Be sure to spend more time in front of the TV (or otherwise relaxing) than you do in the kitchen. Just because Grandma woke up at 4 in the morning on Thanksgiving to put the turkey in the oven and make the mincemeat and pumpkin pies from scratch doesn't mean that you have to. With the help of Reynolds turkey roasting bags, Stove Top Stuffing, Potato Buds, brown and serve rolls, and Mrs. Smith's apple and pumpkin pies, I am happy to say that I have my Thanksgiving kitchen time down to less than an hour or so, including the time to rinse the turkey and get it in the oven.
*Don't make a big deal about cleaning the house for guests. This is also a habit I had picked up from visiting extended family -- everyone's house was always so spotless, like a model home. Throw some blue stuff in all the toilets, run a vacuum quickly over the floor, make sure all of your sensitive financial documents are hidden, and call it a day.
*Don't send Christmas cards to everyone you have ever met. I get Christmas cards from all corners of the country and sometimes feel compelled to have all of these people on my mailing list too. Buying cards and stamps, writing personalized messages, and addressing the envelopes can kill an entire weekend afternoon. Just let the important people in your life know that you care about them throughout the year (through emails and phone calls and whatnot) and they won't miss the card.
*Don't worry too long about what gifts to get people. If your loved one mentions something they would like to have, make a mental or actual note so that you can maximize the chances of giving something that they want. But you'll only cause resentment if you search too long or think too hard about it, because chances are they aren't putting that much thought into your gift at all.
posted by Amanda Shankle-Knowlton | 11:52 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home