A More Mindful Christmas Season

Sometimes the lead-up to Christmas feels like a giant chaotic snowball careening down November slopes, gobbling everyone and everything in its path like a Katamari Damacy ball (sorry, old PS2 game reference), until everything explodes in a mess of wrapping paper and bows on Christmas morning. Point is, every year I find myself losing control of my festive calendar, to the point where scheduled events are almost a chore, rather than a seasonal delight.

Don't get me wrong; I love Christmas, and the anticipatory buzz that surrounds this magical season. I'm the first to switch all of my XM stations to the Christmas ones on Nov. 1st. Seeing lights up on trees and buildings makes my heart flutter with inexplicable child-like joy. Thinking about Christmas brings a goofy grin to my face. And yes, I made sure to have all of my tickets purchased and reservations booked as of November 1st. #TypeA

But at some point, things can get a tad overwhelming. I'm more mindful of this now that I'm a parent; Little L factors heavily into my scheduling choices, even when it comes to fun and festive activities. With increasing awareness comes a stronger preference and set of opinions. Whereas my toddler would happily accompany me on any seasonal adventure as long as there was the promise of a sweet treat at the end, my first grader has much more specific tastes and aversions to crowds and long lines. The "rush" of doing all the Christmas things quickly turns into a literal rush from event to event, and when you couple that with our existing lessons and commitments during the rest of the year, you can start to see that Katamari ball grow, and it can really create anxiety in a little person (or even in grown-ups)!

And so, today we're taking a bit of a breather. We don't have any commitments today as far as lessons are concerned, and even though I had scheduled a field trip to the Vancouver Aquarium (one of our all-time favourite places), I've postponed it. I think we are going to go shop for cacao nibs (Little L's request, because she wants to make chocolate) and Christmas ornaments, and then we're going to have an easy homeschool day, and just relax and enjoy being.

That said, being mindful is hard, especially for a control freak like me. I want to constantly be doing something, checking things off my invisible list, and relaxing only when I feel like an adequate number of items have been accomplished.

But it's vitally important for my mental health, and that of our family, for us not to commit to doing things just for the sake of doing them. FOMO is alive and well, and even the most cursory glances through social media will guilt you into thinking that you or your child will be disadvantaged if you don't visit Mall Santa, or hit up every Christmas market in the city, or take advantage of every free kids' event that gives away Christmas goodies and crafts.

It's not true; you and yours will be better off if you can set aside time to decompress, to be mindful, and to relax. Maybe even be bored (I know, what a dirty word!). Just like it's good to get out of your desk to stretch and take a quick walk during the day, it's good to have days where there isn't anything of import scheduled, so the kids can just play.

And so, we are choosing to pace ourselves, to be selective, to have down times as well as busy times, and to not let this Christmas become another crazy season of excess. We have simplified all gift-giving with our extended family, and we are still looking for ways to make this a memorable, but calm Christmas.

How are you practising mindfulness this holiday season?