Tips To Help Keep The Cheer in The Holidays
‘Tis the season to be jolly, but many of us may be feeling grinchy this year. With the pandemic still a looming threat to our health and happiness, the economy still a hot mess and so many of our favorite seasonal activities canceled, getting into the holiday spirit can be challenging. Let’s look at some tips to help keep the cheer in the holidays, even during COVID-19.
Go virtual
Have your holiday plans been canceled because of a last-minute quarantine? Karestan Koenen, a psychiatric epidemiology professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, suggests hosting a virtual get-together instead of an in-person gathering. Share a menu, create a program that can include binge-watching the best holiday movies together, or playing virtual holiday games. And be sure to mail out your gifts with enough time to reach your loved ones by Christmas.
Give of your time
The holidays will have an extra measure of loneliness this year. Take the time to reach out to a relative, neighbor, or friend who is stuck inside, and share some holiday cheer. Giving to others will make your holiday a little bit brighter.
Be flexible
Dr. Andrea K. Tesher, PsyD, of Ridgewood, N.J., says to keep an open mind with holiday plans this year. It’s best to expect the unexpected, she says, adding, to go with the flow, even as holiday plans change from Plan A to Plan B, and then to Plan C. Being mentally prepared for changes will make them easier to handle.
Stay positive
Keeping a positive outlook goes a long way toward making the holidays easier to handle, Koenen says. Remember that we know a lot more about the virus now than we did in spring and that a vaccine may soon be a reality.
Recharge
Koenen suggests squeezing in a few minutes for self-care each day during the busy holiday season. Take a quick walk around the block, indulge in a hot bath, or schedule a timeout from your phone each evening. These slices of alone time can be crucial to your mental health.
Simplify
2020 was the year we all learned to reframe our realities. We discovered that we could get by without our weekly manicures, survive months without the gym, and attend all kinds of social events while wearing fuzzy socks and sweatpants.
As we bid farewell to 2020, let’s carry our new minimalist attitude toward all things material. We can stand to trim our gift lists, forego the annual gathering with extended family, and dine in throughout the holiday.
With these tips, it will be a little easier to keep the cheer in the Holidays. Have you found other ways to be less grinchy during the holidays? Share your ideas with us. If you like this post, check out our other post on our MoneySmart Tips blog. We wish you a happy and healthy holiday season!
