I hope everyone had amazing holidays! Now that regular life has resumed, I feel like I can get back to blogging more frequently.
Let’s face it, we use the holidays as an excuse to not do things just like I am using them now as a reason as to why I didn’t write. Don’t get me wrong, I thought about it quite a bit. I thought about all of the things that I should be writing about and posting, but I was lazy, and I didn’t do it. Sometimes we are totally grateful for the things that we didn’t do, but I’m not really. If I had been writing more, I would have felt much more of a sense of accomplishment than I have now. What did I gain from not writing and posting? Not much of anything. Several times I wasn’t even spending time with my friends or family. I wasn’t doing much of anything except sitting on the couch watching TV or a movie and scrolling through social media seeing what other people were doing. Having time to do “lazy” things like this is important sometimes. It makes us much more productive when we are working, but when do we stop using that as a reason to be lazy and actually do something? I am attempting to do that now. Not just with this post, but in life.
I love the holidays! From the middle of September to just after New Year’s is my favorite time during the year. September I can start putting out Halloween decorations and then new things go up all the time until about January 2. I always get depressed taking down the Christmas tree. The tree is so colorful and sparkly and there aren’t really any holidays that you decorate to that extent for after it until you can start putting out Halloween decorations again. I have Valentine’s and Easter decorations, but those holidays are far enough from each other that they make my house feel kind of empty in between. I’m sure I’m not the only one that feels this way, but maybe we just need more reasons to decorate and celebrate?!
Again, let me just say that I love the holidays. I know that they are stressful for many people but when all people do is complain about the holidays, I get frustrated. I know that this year many people were upset about Starbucks cups. This isn’t new. People have been complaining about the holiday Starbucks cups for years. If you really feel so strongly about a stupid cup, then don’t go to Starbucks. It isn’t like these cups are causing you harm in any way, shape, or form. They aren’t derogatory to anyone and if there is something about a cup that offends you then don’t go to Starbucks. It really is that simple. There are plenty of other coffee place that will gladly take your money. Most importantly, the cup isn’t a big deal. You shouldn’t let it ruin your holidays and if it does you seriously need to reevaluate your priorities and your purpose in life.
During the holidays many of us feel obligated to see family that we don’t see on a regular basis. We feel the need to spend money that we don’t really have on those people and people that we want to give the world to. I can’t even begin to tell you how many people I saw complaining about not having the money for things. I totally understand that, believe me, I DO! But even that shouldn’t ruin your holidays. If these people are important to you, they will appreciate even the smallest gift and will be truly grateful that you spent what little you had on something thoughtful. One of the things that I do is that I make lists throughout the entire year of gift ideas for specific people. This way when Christmas or a birthday is approaching, I am prepared. I’m already working on my 2019 list and it’s the beginning of January. By doing this I also have all of my Christmas shopping done by (at least) Thanksgiving (sometimes earlier) and I can actually enjoy the holidays without stressing about all the shopping I still have to do. Another advantage of this is I can shop year-round so I’m not spending a huge amount of money all at once. It is spread out through the year.
These are just a few suggestions if you felt like you were constantly complaining or if the holidays were stressing you out. Enjoys the holidays and try not to let the little things get to you!