December is the month of big planning, gift-shopping, and preparations for the upcoming holidays and celebrations. Usually we put so much effort into making Christmas “perfect” that we actually forget what it celebrates and what it should stand for. If you want to avoid some little detail ruining this much anticipated time if the year, there are certain things you should do (or shouldn’t). Here are ten tips for having a happy Christmas.
Don’t have big expectations
This is the first and most important rule to follow if you want to have a joyous time this Christmas. You may remember the perfect holidays from your childhood – sacred, warm memories, which will never be a reality again. The “perfect” Christmas is for the kids only; something will certainly go wrong, so if you have too big expectations, you will only be disappointed. The formula for happiness is really simple and you may read more about it here.
Don’t plan every single thing
Planning is the key to the stress-free holiday, but no matter the preparations, something or someone will always surprise you. The real holiday experience is even better when you leave certain things to the chance. Imagine you plan the Christmas dinner for two weeks – the menu, the turkey, the ingredients, the cake… If something goes wrong, you will be devastated.
Share the burden
One of the best tactics for having a good time is sharing some of the burden. Allocate the tasks – one of your family members may be in charge of the groceries, another for the drinks, and so on. If you are expecting guests, you can ask them to bring wine.
Stop worrying about how your home looks like
Don’t believe the Hollywood Christmas image – all these amazing decorations, nativity scenes and outdoor lights cost money. Also, your home will never be clean and beautiful enough if you want it to be like in these TV ads. You don’t have to wash the curtains and rearrange the basement. No one will ever notice; but they will feel welcome if you are relaxed, happy host.
Dress up
Think about yourself this Christmas and try to look your best. A new hairstyle, a new, elegant dress, and the shoes you’ve always wanted to have – this will definitely make you feel better. Plus, you deserve it!
Remember why we celebrate Christmas
This is before all a religious holiday – going to the church may be too traditional, but it has a lot more sense than spending thousands of dollars on gifts, food and entertainment. If you are not religious at all, at least try to explain the kids the religious aspect, or simply remember and celebrate the major Christian and human values.
Try something different this year
Why don’t you come up with something alternative to the traditions? They are nice, but really exhausting sometimes. For instance, instead of having a Christmas lunch, order pizza and watch a nice Christmas movie. Or why don’t you leave and spend the holidays in the mountains or at the beach? Your relatives will somehow do without you. We offer a few ideas here that might be useful to you.
Accept your family members and relatives as they are
Everyone is a little crazy and you probably have at least one uncle or cousin, who is eccentric. Well, don’t argue with them; just accept them as there are. Forgive and forget the little mistakes – if not for them, do it for you.
Limit your spending
This may be the holidays, but unless you are billionaire, you should watch your credit card. Don’t spend too much on gifts, decorations or food. Christmas is so commercialized, that we and the kids got used to having everything. The truth is that we don’t need even half of it.
Choose to be positive
Happiness is often a matter of choice; it doesn’t depend on various circumstances or other people – it’s only up to you. So, choose to believe everything will be great and you’ll see how you’ll find solution to every problem. Positive thinking is essential!
It is also influential and conjunctive, and it will help you connect with your closest people on different and more meaningful deeper levels.
Smile more and even strangers will smile back at you. Smiling is inspiring and inspires people to think positive.
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