“By criticizing, we do not make lasting changes and often incur resentment.”
Don’t like how a family member cooked the turkey? Not a fan of a friend’s new hair style?
While it might be tempting to let everyone know how we feel, what is that really going to achieve? The turkey can’t be re-made, and the hairstyle is already done. By bashing either, all that we’re doing is making the other person self-conscious and gloomy, potentially ruining their good time. And that’s just not very merry now, is it?
“It takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.
Whether a family member was late to a gathering or someone at the office has made a tactless comment about your baking, the ability to let it go will serve you well.
While we can’t control what other people say or do, we can control how we react to it. A big part of that reaction is choosing not to hold onto grudges. After all, the holidays are a trying time for many people, so being late or speaking without considering the repercussions of those words are bound to happen. In these cases, the greatest gift you can give the other person is to just move on.
“An hour of planning can save you ten hours of doing.”
Planning out your holiday menu, gifts, and guest lists in advance will take so much stress out of the season!
Whether you’re heading to the grocery store or the mall, knowing exactly what you need to pick up will help you to spend less time wandering through crowds, and will remove the need to make split-second decisions. This can also help you save money, since sticking to your list will make it easier to ignore and avoid tempting sales on things you don’t really need.
“No one can humiliate or disturb you and me, either – unless we let him.”
For many of us, holiday gatherings can be stressful. Family and friends that we might not see often will take the opportunity to ask questions or make statements that we may find embarrassing, intrusive, and downright insensitive. It can be easy for these instances to sour our moods for the whole day, but it’s important that we don’t allow that to happen.
Have a mantra prepared that you can repeat to yourself (or even the other party!) as needed to keep your spirits up. After all..
“Our mental attitude is the X factor that determines our fate.”
If we go into the holidays determined to have a good time, and prepared with everything we need to make it through the parties, planning, and shopping that go with it, we will come out in January in the high spirits that will allow us to take on the new decade.
So pull out your festive sweaters, remember all you have to be thankful for, and look at how far you’ve come in the last year. The holidays are a time to recharge and reset, and with a little mental preparation you’ll be able to enjoy them to the fullest.