Enjoy Your Holidays! Come Hear Me Sing!
We are certainly in the thick of the holidays now. All the TV, newspaper and magazine advertising is Christmas oriented. Christmas trees are popping up in peoples’ homes and on car tops in transit. Multi-colored and white lights are blooming on the rooftops and front lawns.
Christmas has always been my favorite holiday, so what I experience is the magic, the beautiful images; the dreamlike, ethereal quality; the lights illuminating the lengthening darkness hours; the once a year smells, sights, sounds and tastes; secrets, whispers, plots and plans. While I am an avowed Christmas fanatic, I have found over the years that the more busy commercial aspect of Christmas has caused my fanaticism to wane somewhat. Since that didn’t really sit well, I determined to change my experience.
My strategy has been to start my holiday preparations a little earlier and plan a little more every year. That way, I ensure (at least a bit more) that I really enjoy the holidays. I get closer to pure holiday bliss every year. The turning point in my Christmas experience was reading Unplug the Christmas Machine: A Complete Guide to Putting Love and Joy Back into the Season by Jo Robinson, and Jean C. Staeheli. The crux of the book: Too many people place unnecessary stress upon themselves during the holidays because they try to create the perfect Christmas for family and friends, or because they try to live up to an unrealistic vision of what the holiday should be. In many cases, this leads to over-spending, and post-holiday debts.
For these reasons, it is important for people to take an inventory of the things that are most important to them during the holidays. In creating this list, people should keep in mind the things that bring them peace and joy during the holidays (and the things that don’t!). Preparing a huge holiday meal for family and friends might bring some people great joy, while causing others anxiety. Look at your family’s holiday traditions and the ways you’ve prepared for the holidays in the past. Is there some tradition that really isn’t necessary, takes too much preparation, or is too costly? Maybe you’ve always held a neighborhood Christmas party. If you’re dreading it this year, think about foregoing the party, or ask a neighbor to host it instead.
Along with taking an inventory of traditions, prepare a list of the family and friends you are planning to give gifts to this year. Are there some people on that list who could be omitted? Maybe it is time your extended family started giving gifts only to the children in the family, or held a lottery. Once you’ve narrowed your list down, place an estimated dollar amount next to their name to indicate the amount you are willing to spend on that person. Finally, analyze past holiday expenditures and try to estimate how much you will spend this year, and then create a holiday budget. Along with gift giving, don’t forget to include the cost of gift wrapping and mailing packages, travel expenses, higher entertainment costs, new holiday clothing, and decorations. Again, consider eliminating the things that seem unnecessary.
The goal of making a holiday inventory is not to make you feel you should forego cherished traditions, but to help you prioritize the things that are most important to you during this special season. Most people will discover that spending time with family and friends is more important that extravagant gifts or fattening feasts. You will be able to enjoy a happier, more carefree holiday by eliminating some of the unnecessary obligations and costs of the holiday season.
After reading the book, I realized that the most important things about Christmas for me (besides being with friends and family) were the music, smells/sights of Christmas and, secondarily, the foods. I have eliminated not only the things I really didn’t care for, but also the guilt associated with not doing them well. I still manage to do the things I need to do, even if I would prefer not to. I plan them early and leave plenty of time to do them along with the things I really want to do. I manage, therefore, to get through the whole season, without a lot of stress, and to enjoy myself immensely, doing all the things I really enjoy.
To that end, you are invited to come hear me sing Beethoven’s 9th on New Year’s Eve and Day in the city.
Annual New Year’s Concert and Champagne Reception
Ludwig van Beethoven, “Symphony No. 9 – Ode to Joy”
Soloists:
Anja Strauss, Soprano
Kristine Sinajon, Mezzo-Soprano
John Davey-Hatcher, Tenor
Kittinant Chinsamran, Bass-baritone
St. Mary’s Cathedral
1111 Gough Street at Geary Blvd.
San Francisco, CA 94109-6686
8:00 pm. Dec. 31st or 4:00 pm. Jan 1st 2009
For more information: http://www.sfsinfonietta.org
I hope you have a wonderful, dreamy, peaceful and exquisitely enjoyable holiday season!!
Ellen Potthoff, D.C., N.D.
925-603-7300
Ellen Potthoff, DC, ND 