Happy Holidays! This time of year often brings feelings of glee, twinkling lights, bright cheery smiles and ugly red sweaters, but it can also be a busy and sometimes overwhelming time. The days are darker, gloomier, budgets can be tight, driving is more stressful, the list goes on. So with that I have some personal holiday survival practices I’d like to share and also a few season must-haves.
Don’t sweat the small stuff. Be thankful for what you have, big or small. I am so thankful for my family, a warm place to call home and a full belly (of food that is, don’t need to be starting any rumors). It’s easy to get wrapped up in the idea that our holiday parties and dinners must be grand, perfect, every hair and chair in place. That’s a lot of puzzle pieces to put together and keep that way when life can be unpredictable and messy. So cherish the mess, unless it’s Legos, those things kill to step on. Mess means we have things to do, people to see and life to live.
When all else fails, tacos. I cannot tell you how many holiday dinners (or nights leading up to holiday dinners) that have consisted of tacos and every type of taco topper and side you could want. I find that these days I am not the planner that I used to be, mostly I fly by the seat of my pants… and who doesn’t like tacos? It’s an easy gig and it takes away the burden of cooking all day. Everyone brings an ingredient or two, we make a big pot of taco meat and provide shells and tortillas and everyone is happy! Not to mention I always feel better about eating tacos over ham or turkey and all the Christmas fixings. I know this is not traditional but it’s become our own tradition when life gets busy.
Make your own traditions. Like the holiday taco dinners, make your own traditions to look forward to. Growing up, and to this day, Christmas to me means soccer and the annual Holiday Cup Soccer Tournament. For more than 15 years I’ve played in the tournament, usually with a soccer game either everyday or every other day of the week leading up to Christmas and then the week after. It’s wonderful to be active, to see friendly albeit competitive faces on the turf that I’ve seen year after year. And this ties in with my next season essential, exercise.
Exercise is really important, especially this time of year. I’ll be the first to admit, I get SAD, or seasonal affective disorder if I’m not diligent about keeping the winter blues away. Even if it’s just a walk outside in the slush for 15 minutes, the fresh air clears the mind and is good for the soul and is a good reminder that there is a hustle and bustle of life out there which is hard to remember sometimes when we are stuffed indoors more frequently. Exercise is a crucial element to keep a good physical and mental balance.
Eating right. Personally, I feel food can either do a lot of good or a lot of bad to your body and what you eat is the foundation or building blocks to health. With anything moderation is key. Treat yourself to a cupcake or goody but do eat a healthy serving of veggies more often than not, and if you’re too busy for that, throw a handful of spinach in a smoothie! I also try to cut out processed foods because personally eating ingredients I cannot pronounce doesn’t sit well with me. Eating well helps me both physically and mentally, which in turn helps keep my attitude cheery and my energy level up.
And lastly, my Holiday must-haves: snow tires and pine candles. So snow tires… I went one winter here without them and it was a big mistake. I didn’t get into an accident but my car did get sucked into some slush on my street on the way to a soccer game, which pulled me into the ditch. Like many Southeast Alaskans I was not appropriately dressed for the weather since I didn’t anticipate getting stuck and I had to run down our long, dark, snowy street in soccer shorts to find our wonderful neighbor that has the truck. I don’t know if snow tires would have prevented this situation or not but sliding anywhere in a vehicle is scary and stressful and I’d like to think that snow tires do help, paired with thoughtful driving of course. And to end it all on a happy note, I must have pine scented candles. I love the smell of the Christmas tree but my husband and I have had this 3 foot fake Christmas tree we’ve used for years so I have to get the smell somehow. The smell from the candles gives our house a Christmas feel and it’s the little things like that which make the holidays for me. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones, it’s been an eventful 2015 and I am looking forward to what 2016 has to offer. See you in the New Year!
Anna Hoke is the graphic designer and owner of Southeast Living Magazine. She can be reached at anna@seakliving.com.
