Earlier this week I stopped by someone's house and the homeowner was in the midst of hanging her Christmas lights. She commented on the break my stop created being welcome and what a stressful task it was. We spoke briefly about how the holidays can be stressful, the expectations people feel are thrust upon them, and how the true meaning and intentions of holidays in general seem to have been lost.


While not everyone celebrates Christmas, and many who do celebrate it are not necessarily religious, the overall energy and pressures of this time of year are felt by many. I thought I would share some ideas to help put some spirit back in the season or, at least, alleviate some of the stress.


Instead of purchasing gifts for everyone in your family, consider drawing names or doing a Yankee Swap. This not only takes the stress out of purchasing many gifts, but also helps save money in a time when we all have to make a dollar go further. Perhaps even consider making homemade gifts or a coupon book offering to do fun things or chores for someone. Cleaning the house, having a movie night at home, or some other creative way to make someone's day spending little to no money, just some of your time and effort.


Volunteering is a great way to give back to your community and feed your soul at the same time. Helping someone less fortunate can also help put things into perspective for you. Not only does it remind you how good you truly have it, but it also reminds you that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to make someone's day.


In many homes, one person is often relegated to the task of making a huge holiday meal. While some people enjoy this, to others it is a burden. Regardless, it is a lot of work. A potluck meal would remove some stress from that one person who always does the work, both in labor and expense. For small gatherings, something like making homemade pizza together, instead of a more traditional meal that takes all day to prepare, is a fun alternative.


Another twist on the holiday meal is a progressive dinner. Coordinate with your neighbors, friends or family and have a different course at every house. Start with appetizers at one house, starters at the next, main course at another home and dessert at the final stop. Doing so is not only a lot of fun, but minimizes the burden and work each person has to contribute.


These suggestions can be adjusted to meet your needs and preferences. The idea is to get back to the purpose of the holiday season, to lower our stress levels, increase our joy and sense of community, and help save some money in these expensive times. There are many other ways you can do this if these ideas aren’t quite for you. The holidays should be joyful, not anxiety inducing, no matter what you celebrate.


Sacred Spirit Wellness is located at The Healing Hive, 21 Barton Street in Bradford, VT. They can be reached via email at sacredspiritwellness1@gmail.com, on their Facebook page or www.sacredspiritwellness.com

Have a story?