Holidays are not even here and already it seems like they have been cancelled, or toned down to the point of boredom. 2020 is not over yet, and here are some tips to use this season to your advantage. Use your joys to drive your holiday season toward connection and true joy.
Less than 50 days are in the year and it is time that we come to terms that this might just be the best gift of 2020-- time to reset and have time to solidify relationships, rediscover our joys, and have a chance to make the transition to 2021 a great one. Here's to a good holiday season regardless of stay at home advisories and mask mandates!
Happy Friday everybody!! Today's episode is the planned cap for the year 2020. there will be no more episodes until 2021, to tide us through the holiday season. Today is November 13th. It's also Friday the 13th. It's also less than two weeks until the Thanksgiving Holiday begins here in the States. This is sort of the downhill march to the finish of the year and as of this recording we have 49 days until the end of 2020. I don't know why I said it that way, it's not like there will be more days added to the year in the end, there's no extra credit course for 2020.
For the sake of my family, my own enjoyment, and the year itself, this will be the last episode in this year. I have no plans to record anything until January 2021. That being said, I want us all to go full send into the holidays. And I am not talking about running up the credit card, doing ALL the activities, filling the time not spent at holiday parties (covid and all) doing just more, more, more. That is not what this is about. This is about creating magic. Your own personal version of MAGIC. This is about creating a memorable, enjoyable, and maybe even relaxing holiday season. A season that could just be the entirety of the winter season if you plan it right. In order to help facilitate this, I have a few suggestions. Some based on observation, some based on mental health awareness research, and some just for a fun suggestion.
I have three things. Just three. First, reimagine the holidays, second, Skip more things and finally, Be off.
Alright, let's start with reimagining. Now there are two ways you can go about doing this. first, you can just reimagine what a good season will look like to you, especially since none of us have lived through this kind of a holiday season. Sure, that works, everybody is going to need to do that. It's a good thing to consider. But what I want you to do is remember. Literally Imagine again (or RE Imagine) the holidays. What made the magic happen in the holidays for you as a child or a teenager. If you're like me, I have a conglomerate of magical memories over the years of holidays that I have experienced, but there is no one year that stands out as the best. Imagine yourself at the cusp of being able to recreate that magical year of the three snow days in a row, or the year you got the bike of your dreams and rode it in the snow. Imagine yourself hoping against hope for that one perfect gift, and then forgetting all about it when you had that totally rad, not at all on your list, thanks mom I love it so much gift. The unexpected little magical moments that made your holidays so exciting, remember those. What about those magic moments can you recreate this year. Bring in the excitement, the hope, the charm, the coziness, whatever that looks like to you, bring that in hardcore. Might I suggest a few things? Get yourself a little warm beverage of choice station. Tea, hot cocoa, coffee, cider, lemon and water, whatever it is, make sure you are stocked up on the little bit of making yourself cozy for winter nights. And then use that stock in abundance. When you are home from work, after taking a snowy walk, whenever floats your boat. But, remember the days before you had a phone? What did you do with your cup of warmth? Did you read a book? Did you start a fire? Did you sit on the heater grate like I did? Did you have a view out the window? Either recreate, or create new your new spot of warmth. And the best part about this suggestion? You can share it. Share it with the people in your household (In Utah that is all we are allowed to be exposed to right now) but I would say, share it with those you are sharing your holidays with. Because we all know that sharing the holidays is actually making them better.
Alright, so first, reimagine, next skip more things. I personally have heard a version of this every holiday season from a few people every year for a decade. Simplify the holidays, spend more time at home and less time out. Focus on the things that matter, and you could probably add to that list. This year it's being done for us. There are less public things to do, less events taking place, less gathering in general. This is the year to experiment. All those parties you "HAVE to go to"? NOt this year honey. All that running around you "Have to get done"? Nope. All the events and charity functions being stacked into lunches and during work? Uh, good luck. So, this becomes the guiltless bow-out year. Sorry Steve Jobs, there is no "one more thing" this year. This is your chance. EDIT like you have no 2021. Edit like this is your last 50 days on earth. What would you choose to do surrounded by your loved ones. Write down on a post-it note what you would like to do, and no cheating I know they have those half page sized post-its. That is not what I mean. I mean in the way that you can't fit all your to do list on the post-it, the same formula works for prioritizing what is important to your holiday season. You traditionally go look at lights through the neighborhoods? Great, that can go on the list, as long as it's not cramped next to 200 of the other things you feel you have to do. Make it intentional. Make it bare minimum. Make it about the experience and not about the perception, or the social standing, or anything that is wholly unconnected to your well-being. Invest your time this year in YOU. Invest in your people. The real people. The people that if you had cancer they are the army that shows up for you. Invest in you being the best you to start 2021. Make relationships about talking, make them about sharing a meaningful experience, and that can be as simple as a meaningful conversation. So take your warm cup of tea and call a friend instead of going to a packed party or networking event. Grab a good book and read out loud to your kids or honey. DO LESS. Just don't do more, and don't do what isn't adding to the joy of the season. This is the year to make it about enjoyment for the sake of what you enjoy. Truly, toe-curling, giddy feeling JOY. Also reminding ourselves that it is just for this year, it's an important distinction. I love a good party. I love to gather people in my home. I love holiday fairs, and tree festivals, and charity events, and the more people the better. But this is not the year for that. This is as much about health and safety as it is anything else. This is the year to make the holiday smaller because you should. This is the first time in my memory that it's about making it as small and safe as you can. So do it for you, and your family yes, but do it so we all can get through the remainder of the pandemic slog together.
And let me just make a simplification plug. Actually, it's more a sharing of what works for my family, but you do you. Neighbor gifts. They're fun to imagine, and then at the end of the season maybe you're still left with a counter full of half-eaten, or slightly resembling some sort of quirky holiday knick knack. One of the draws for us to our current neighborhood is that long ago, all our neighbors got together to do away with neighbor gifts in lieu of donating the money to a common cause. It's taken a life of its own and become the neighborhood association and is run by some accountants in the neighborhood. They do good in the community, and it's all as a group of people get together to spread some good. I know this is not the way it works everywhere, but consider to joint cause for good. Encourage donations to a food pantry or food bank. Do a coat drive, or a glove drive. Bring people together in new ways. Find some good, pass it along. It's a great way to get in the holiday contentment zone.
Alright, Reimagine, Do less, and now, be OFF. So, you have imagined your best holiday season, and you've decided to make it simpler, I would say, check out sometimes. Clock out, punch out, take a sick day, whatever metaphor you want to say to get your brain in the mode of being free of obligations that don't relate to feeling good. Imagine and be grateful, don't check things off and create a new list. There will always be tasks to complete, but when you have moments that you don't have to be working, or helping children, or occupied in a necessary fashion, let your self ENJOY. Enjoyment is something we lose touch with as adults. We have to do a lot of things. We are responsible when we take care of the things that accrue in life: if that means a mortgage, bills, jobs, schedules, dealing with heavy issues, learning a new skill, whatever it is, we take a lot on ourselves, call it responsibility, and then ensure that we feel obligated to much of that load for the rest of our lives. I am suggesting that you lighten up your expectations of yourself this season. Let yourself feel the enjoyment of the toasty car heater instead of thinking about the car payment. Enjoy the moment that you enjoy a much anticipated favorite holiday pie or treat. Take a moment to embody the you that gets excited about the little things, and delight in knowing that if you're off the clock, you should act like a kid who's out for the summer, or out for the winter break. Do things you enjoy. Do things that make others wonder about their own interests. Pursue something for the fun of it, and with no intention to finish. Or with the intent to finish. Either way, pick something you enjoy and DO IT! Create the off-time that you love. And maybe, just maybe you will find a new habit or hobby that brings you joy and carries you into the new year!
Three things for your holidays: Reimagine, Do less, and Be off. I wish you the very best next six weeks to the end of the year. It has been a pleasure to dig into this podcast and have it be so much fun. If you have no idea why I am doing this go back and check out episode 9 to get some context for why play is so important to me. If you would like more information, please head to my family foundation website theoliverfund.org.