Once again, we are now accelerating into the holiday season.
Hallmark has been showing Christmas movies for months now (basically the same three plots with different really good-looking people). The stores have had Christmas decorations up alongside the Halloween candy and decorations.
But now we are getting into the true nitty-gritty. Go time. As of this story’s publication we are one week or 168 hours (give or take) from Turkey Day. Or perhaps it should be called The Day It Really Stinks to Be a Turkey Day? Whatever, the time is going to fly by. At least it will for me as the older I get the faster time seems to move. Before we know it Christmas will be here.
Back when I was a kid (a loooong time ago, before even color TV) the month from Thanksgiving to Christmas seemed like the longest 100 days of the year. The days dragged. But now boom. I’m writing this on Monday but before I know it I’ll be seeing my “mug” on the paper on Thursday and thinking, “Wow, I swear I just wrote the story yesterday.” The way time (or our perception of it) seems to speed up tends to add pressure to a time that’s supposed to be filled with joy and good will toward others ... and all that jazz.
Here are ways of how I handle the holidays to keep the stress down and the fun up:
First off, this is simple, I give this hint a lot: Remember to breathe. It’s amazing how often we forget to breathe. It’s even more amazing how much clearer and calmer situations seem after one or two or three (depending on your mood and pulse) deep breaths. Inhale through the nose to the count of five and then exhale through your mouth or nose. Repeat until you are calm. Note there is some discussion amongst breathing experts whether you should exhale through your mouth or nose. I don’t think it makes a big difference. Just remember to breathe.
Another thing I do is actually something I don’t do: I don’t sweat it. My mantra is “It will work out.” It’s helpful to have a general holiday plan: Who is coming, what are we serving, what are we doing for fun? But after that it’s even more beneficial to understand these plans are not etched in stone, anything that can go wrong might very well go wrong. But who cares? We’re not doing brain surgery (even brain surgeons most likely aren’t performing brain surgery at the kitchen table) or disconnecting a bomb (unless of course we’re Bruce Willis in the best holiday movie ever.) Things are going to work out and if you keep a nice positive attitude, you and any guests you have will have fun and be happy. Your state of mood is most often what you think it is.
I also hate to use the word perfect, but I have nearly perfected gift giving. My technique is simple. I walk up or text friends and loved ones and say, “Hey, what do you want for the holidays?” Then if what they request is within my budget, and Olga approves, I buy it for them. This method also saves on wrapping paper. If they say, “surprise me” or if they say, “I really want a new Porsche!” Then they get an Amazon Visa gift card. I’m not a mind reader or a super rich dude.
There you have it, my simple tips for making the Holidays enjoyable. Your mileage may vary. Note this column was originally written two years ago, and it still holds true today.
John Zakour lives in Geneva. He is a freelance humor writer with a bachelor’s in computer science from SUNY Potsdam and a master’s in human behavior. He is a chief happiness practitioner. He has sold thousands of gags to strips and magazines and had over 50 books published. He writes his own syndicated comic, “Working Daze,” which has anywhere from 30K-100K daily readers. His “Positive Vibes” column runs every Thursday. Contact him at johnzakour@gmail.com. Or, check out his blog at workingdaze.blogspot.com.
POSITIVE VIBES: Handling the holidays in a positive way, redux
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16.11.2023
Once again, we are now accelerating into the holiday season.
Hallmark has been showing Christmas movies for months now (basically the same three plots with different really good-looking people). The stores have had Christmas decorations up alongside the Halloween candy and decorations.
But now we are getting into the true nitty-gritty. Go time. As of this story’s publication we are one week or 168 hours (give or take) from Turkey Day. Or perhaps it should be called The Day It Really Stinks to Be a Turkey Day? Whatever, the time is going to fly by. At least it will for me as the older I get the faster time seems to move. Before we know it Christmas will be here.
Back when I was a kid (a loooong time ago, before even color TV) the month from Thanksgiving to Christmas seemed like the longest 100 days of the year. The days dragged. But now boom. I’m writing this on Monday but before I know it I’ll be seeing my “mug” on the paper on........
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