Rain or Shine Mamma

There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes

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5 Ways to Beat Holiday Stress and Actually Enjoy the Season

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November 24, 2015 By Linda McGurk

The other day I was talking to a good friend who is moving out-of-state in mid-December, and she said that we should get together before she leaves. Then she added an all-too familiar caveat: “But I totally understand if you’re too busy during the holiday season.”

No, I'm Not Stressed Out About the Holidays. Five Tips That Can Help You Stay Sane Too. Rain or Shine Mamma.She meant well, of course, and wanted to give me an easy way out. After all, the presumption is that we all pretty much spend most of the months of November and December running around like headless turkeys, preparing for a few high-stakes events collectively known as “The Holidays,” or “The Season.”

Oh yes, holiday stress.

‘Tis the season to bust through the doors of Walmart like a pack of starving coyotes tracking down a wounded rabbit, except in this case the prey is a $149 flat screen TV.

‘Tis the season to attend thirty-eight school, preschool and company holiday parties, decorate the house with pine cones smelling like pumpkin-spiced latte, feed an army of relatives with Instagram-quality holiday meals, then stand in line for half an hour to get the mandatory shots of the kids sitting on Santa’s lap at the mall.

And ’tis the season to bake your way to sugar-induced holiday magic by making seven types of cookies and a custom made gingerbread house, and pray that the kids won’t strangle each other as they fight over the leftover M&Ms. Oh, and don’t forget to order Christmas cards and new outfits for the kids and prepare those 101 creative Elf on the Shelf ideas that you printed off from Pinterest.

Can you feel the holiday joy yet? Me neither. So let’s put that powdered sugar down for a second.

Whenever I feel that familiar holiday frenzy come creeping, I try to remember that there are very few things in life that you HAVE to do. Creating homemade baby hand print ornaments and participating in the white elephant gift exchange at work are not.

If you’re struggling to keep your head above water at this time of the year, maybe these five suggestions will help you take the holidays down a notch:

    1. Buy less. This is the easiest way to make shopping-related stress go away, and help the environment. My kids get four Christmas gifts each: something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read, plus a few little things for the stocking. That’s it. The kids are in turn tasked with making gifts for the grandparents (see #5 for more about delegating). Extended family, you’re out of luck. If you’re over 18, no gifts for you.
    2. Skip the shopping mall. The crowds, the noise, the visual overload, the trinkets from China that you don’t need and still end up buying. No thanks. Support your local businesses first, then get what you can’t find there online (there are great mom-and-pop stores on the Internet too). That’s high-quality stress relief that anybody with a decent internet connection can attain.
    3. Delegate. When I was little my mom sent me to the grandparents’ to decorate the Christmas tree, bake ginger snaps and make crafts. That freed up enough time for her to  do clean the house AND take a nap. Win-win. And no, I never felt deprived because my mom didn’t make any holiday fudge with me.
    4. Break with tradition. Don’t be a prisoner of your own expectations of what the holidays should or shouldn’t be. What’s the point of holding on to traditions if they’re causing toxic stress? Try something different. Go ice skating. Have a potluck with friends. Volunteer at a food bank. Try cold-weather camping. Book a last-minute flight to Cancun. Or do what we’ve done for the past three years: Create your own outdoor holiday tradition.
    5. Hit the trail. Really. Nature is a proven remedy for stress and aside from being highly addictive it has zero side effects. Pack sandwiches, hot chocolate, and some of that fudge that the kids made at the grandparents’ house, and go to a nature area that you’ve never been to before. Bonus: The kids will think that you’re awesome.

By keeping things as simple as possible I can honestly say that I’m not stressed about the holidays. At all. Do I want my kids’ Christmas to be fun and yummy and smell of cinnamon and all that good stuff? Absolutely. But I think I can get that accomplished and still have time to breathe.

So, let’s repeat: ‘Tis NOT the season to go batty. ‘Tis the season to take it down a notch, and remember that there is life before, during and after The Holidays. ‘Tis the season to hit the trail, drink hot drinks, and take the time to see that friend of yours that is moving out-of-state.

Happy Holidays!

No, I'm Not Stressed Out About the Holidays. Five TIps That Can Help You Stay Sane Too. Rain or Shine Mamma.

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Filed Under: Holidays, Inspiration, Parent with Nature, Play in Nature, Tips and Tricks 7 Comments

Comments

  1. Heather Dent says

    November 25, 2015 at 9:02 am

    Love this! I’m so glad our conversation inspired such a lovely blog post. The holidays shouldn’t be this event that turns us in to crazy people running around with our heads chopped off. They are meant to bring people together. I am very much looking forward having a nice enjoyable afternoon with you soon!

    Reply
    • Linda McGurk says

      November 25, 2015 at 9:09 am

      Thank you, Heather! I’m looking forward to seeing you too:o)

      Reply
  2. Dawn Suzette says

    November 25, 2015 at 10:41 am

    Yes! All of these tips are spot on!
    We don’t tend to stress about the holidays. They are about friends and family for us.
    Enjoy your holiday season, Linda!

    Reply
    • Linda McGurk says

      November 26, 2015 at 8:23 am

      You too! Thanks for reading, Dawn:o)

      Reply
  3. sue says

    November 25, 2015 at 12:29 pm

    I only heard book a trip to cancun. Lol!
    All great advice!

    Reply
    • Linda McGurk says

      November 26, 2015 at 8:25 am

      LOL! I’ve personally never been to Cancun but we do sometimes go away for the holidays and I like it.

      Reply
  4. Shannon says

    November 6, 2016 at 10:06 pm

    Great post and good tips to keep everyone sane. I actually wrote a post last year about what I was giving up for Christmas for this very reason: https://welleatyouupweloveyouso.com/2015/12/17/what-i-gave-up-for-christmas/ As I’ve had a baby since then, I just re-read it to remind myself what I chose not to do last year and why.

    Reply

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Linda Åkeson McGurk
I’m not going to lie - there are times when my c I’m not going to lie - there are times when my children’s dawdling drives me nuts. Like when they take 45 minutes to finish breakfast even though we’re running late . But I also envy their ability to be completely unhurried and present in the moment, and I realize that it’s a quality that I need to protect🐌

As parents, we need to make space for our children to play, get bored, dawdle, wander, wonder, create, sleep in, be wild and free and watch the clouds go by. Let them be where they are and not push them to achieve arbitrary milestones or condition them to think that a packed calendar is the key to success and happiness.

As always, Ginny of @1000hoursoutside is on point🙌🏻
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Did you know that camping for as little as two nig Did you know that camping for as little as two nights straight can help you reset your circadian rhythms and improve your sleep for several weeks afterwards? That's because the natural light helps the body regulate melatonin, a hormone that tells the body when it's time to get up and go, and when it's time to rest and recuperate🌗 

My melatonin levels weren't top of mind when @jeanetteosterman and I started our challenge to sleep outside at least once a month for a year. But I must say, I rarely sleep as soundly and feel as energetic as I do when I sleep under the skies.

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This is exactly how I feel when I spend time in na This is exactly how I feel when I spend time in nature and why I find it so relaxing. When I’m outside with my kids I’m really present in the moment and there’s no place I’d rather be❤️ Hope you feel the same🌿

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I’ve always loved traveling and have been to my I’ve always loved traveling and have been to my fair share of exotic places, the farther the better🌎 Sometimes, I’d stay for a week, sometimes for months, or even a year. But in the past few years, my horizon has narrowed, and not only because of the pandemic. 

The effects of global climate change are real and it’s becoming harder and harder for me to justify flying for recreation. I’m not here to say that I’m swearing off flying altogether (we have a lot of family abroad that we can only get to by air) but I’m mostly trying to satisfy my craving for adventure at local destinations these days. And it’s been an eye opener🤩

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What are your thoughts on exploring more locally?
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When I became a parent, one of the first books I r When I became a parent, one of the first books I read was Free-Range Kids by Lenore Skenazy and I felt like I’d finally found somebody who “got it.”🙌🏻 Somebody who stood up and said enough is enough with the helicopter parenting trend, questioned the need for baby knee pads and reminded everyone that it’s okay for kids to be bored, drink out of the garden hose, climb trees and play without intervention by adults who are trying to make the activity more “educational.” Somebody who understood that free play is learning. And for that, we thank her🙏🏻🙌🏻
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A follower recently asked me when she could start A follower recently asked me when she could start hiking with her kids, to which I responded that I’ve always hiked with mine, ever since they were babies👶🏻 I kept going after they graduated from the carrier, but obviously “hiking” with a toddler is a lot different than hiking by yourself and I think it’s important to be prepared for and accepting of that, or nobody is going to have a good time.

If you’d like to know more about hiking with toddlers, I share some tips in this post: https://rainorshinemamma.com/hiking-with-toddlers/. 

What are your thoughts on hiking with little kids? Do you have any tips that you’d like to share?💡
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Yes, it looks cozy around the fire and it was🔥 Yes, it looks cozy around the fire and it was🔥 What the picture doesn’t show is us making a wrong turn and losing the trail, resulting in a 1.5-mile detour with heavy packs and sunset closing in on us before we finally reached our campsite🙈

One of the reasons why I love hiking and backpacking is that even though it’s about “living simply”, it also involves a great deal of problem-solving. I actually like it when things don’t go exactly according to plan, because you learn more that way. Not just practical things, like figuring out your location and getting on the right track, but also about yourself and your reaction to challenges🙌🏻

In this case, the wrong turn was just a minor misstep that we were able to correct by backtracking, but it was a good way to test our reasoning skills and resilience at a point when we were both starting to get a little tired.

This was our fourth time of sleeping outside at least once a month for a year, a challenge I jumped on thanks to my friend @jeanetteosterman. I’m not normally one to do challenges but this has been a fantastic way to push my boundaries and learn new skills. Who knows, maybe sleeping under the open skies once a month will become my new normal?😜🤩
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I think it’s safe to say that if more of us trie I think it’s safe to say that if more of us tried to see the world through a child’s eye, this Earth would be a much more loving and compassionate place❤️

Thanks @awilderchild for your amazing nature poetry🙏🏻
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