Preparing for a Mindful Holiday Season

What signals me that the holiday season is upon us is the moment I see the first Starbuck’s customer walking with their frothy something in their red holiday cup. Just the day before the cups were white, today they are red.  I just love this!

I grew up with the traditional trimmings of the Catholic style Christmas.  Though my own beliefs do not reflect those of my childhood, I still appreciate and celebrate this time of year for all the joy and sharing it inspires, and can entail.  So with a respectful bow to all world traditions and rituals, I am celebrating the American traditions of  the ‘Christmas Season’. This blog focuses on Christmas because it is what I know, but mostly because many of the Christmas traditions get us so stressed it’s easy to lose focus on what is important; the nurturing of the parent-child bond.

My childhood Christmas’s began on Thanksgiving. My Dad never had just one grand tree, but at least three or four smaller ones. Every Thanksgiving Dad took me with my older siblings into the woods of Mendocino to find the perfect little trees and plenty of green cuttings for wreaths.  To this day both my brother and sister have raised their kids with the similar traditions of decorating the home for this holiday. My sister bakes every cookie from our childhood, and then some. My brother has a Santa collection that would make the North Pole look spartan.  In most American households preparations are being made for Christmas; trees are being trimmed with ornaments, houses are being strung with lights, gifts are bought then wrapped, cards are getting signed, and lines are being stood in for a seat on Santa’s lap.

Oh yes, then of course in the midst of the greased bread pans and tossed egg shells piling in the sink, there are still the everyday activities; kids to drive here and there, grocery shopping,  lunches to pack, homework to review and bedtime stories to read. Does any of this sound familiar in your home?

How does a mindful parent navigate through these stressful holiday tasks without it feeling like holly pulling on your neck?

Below are some ideas to help you stay present and mindful during this season so you can enjoy this wonderful time of year while still maintaining your schedule and sanity.

1. Breathe . . . and remember to breathe throughout the day.
2. Take five minutes before everyone wakes up and make a list of all your shoulds and have to’s.  Ask yourself, which of these are really important and which are just ‘icing on the cake.’ Remember, cake is very good without icing too.
3. When it’s your bathing time, make this your quiet time.  Take a few moments and focus on how the water feels streaming over your body, warming and soothing you.  If thoughts and worries enter your mind, tell them, “Not now, I am busy” and go back to feeling the water soothing you again.
4. Eat meals with protein, and eat a little slower than usual. Stress increases our appetite for those carb and fat laden comfort foods. But I promise, they won’t calm you for very long. Moments of mindfulness  will.
5. At bedtime, read a good book. Don’t shop by magazine or get on the internet.  You need down time. Mentally transitioning from a busy day to sleep-time promotes deeper and more restful sleep.
6. Throughout the day, pause, breathe, clear your mind. It will help to remember all your ‘To Do’s’ are already on a list. Take a few moments and be present to what is around you. Take it in  . . .  really take it in.
7. Smile in traffic.  Smile in lines. Smile at strangers.  Remember to smile. It is hard to be frustrated when you smile. Plus smiling releases those good feeling brain chemicals.
8. Finally, shop and cook with love for the person or people you are doing this for. Remember things you appreciate about people you are giving to.  If you are shopping or cooking to get it over with then this is shopping with stress and strain. Bring the spirit of giving into your heart.

The holiday season is  a joyful time of  bringing family and friends together. When I practice being mindful to the present, accepting without judgment to what is, I bring a calm joy into what I am doing and this spreads to my family. Maybe we can help each other to stop and pay attention, especially to our children.  After all, this magic we are creating is for our children’s sugar plum dreams.

I would love to hear from you. Share your ideas on how you  manage your stress and keep the parent-child bond as you prepare for your family traditions, which ever they are.

Mindfully Yours,

Pilar Placone