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How To Survive Christmas

A few tips and tricks in making the best Christmas experience possible.

Heather_Waldo

Dec 31, 2018

Longwood

Thought Catalog

It's no question that the Christmas season is one of the busiest times of the year. It seems as soon as December 1st comes, everyone feels the pressure to do a million things before Christmas Day arrives. Most people spend the days leading up to Christmas doing at least one of the following: shopping, baking, wrapping gifts, decorating, and spending time with family and friends. With all of these different activities going on, a person can become overwhelmed pretty quickly. In an effort to make the most out of the Christmas season and keep your sanity, here are some tips:

Remember the reason for the season.

I feel like people begin to become overwhelmed when they start focusing on the other aspects of Christmas, rather than its true meaning. It is perfectly okay to want to do as much as possible and make others happy, but also remember that the true meaning of Christmas isn't about gifts or parties. When things start becoming too much, just sit back and remind yourself of the true meaning of Christmas and reassure yourself that everything will work out.

Take a break.

Between all of the Christmas shopping, gift wrapping and seeing friends and family, take some time for yourself. It's easy to get too involved in all of the Christmas festivities and run yourself down. An easy way to not overdo it during Christmas is taking a time out for a while. You can do this by taking a relaxing bath, reading a good book, or even just sitting or laying down and closing your eyes. Giving yourself a break during the Christmas craziness is definitely a must.

Appreciate family time.

One of the best parts about the Christmas season is how it brings families together, which is personally my favorite aspect of Christmas. It allows me to see the majority of my family members. Since everyone is so busy with their own lives during the year, Christmas allows people to take a break from work and from life, and make seeing family and friends a priority. However, with all of this wonderful family time, it can become a little much for some people, and they begin not to appreciate family as much. My word of advice regarding this situation is just to remember that quality time spent with family is few and far between and instead of dreading it, you should make the most of every minute you have.

Make a game plan.

With all of the different Christmas activities going on, making a plan and staying organized is crucial. If you have anything to do for work or school, make a list of everything you need to get done before returning to the grind after the new year. After you understand what things you need to get done during your time off, you can start making plans with family and friends. Reach out to your family and friends and start making plans with everyone's schedules and obligations in mind. This task can also be easier said than done because everyone is busy around this time. However, don't get discouraged and just try your best to see as many family and friends as possible.

Honor family members who are no longer with you.

One thing my family does every Christmas is honor the ones we have lost. I think this is a very important part of Christmas, to honor and spend time with all family members. As far as how to honor your family members you have lost, that's up to you and can be done in many different ways. My family, for example, takes photos of family members that have passed to our Christmas party and for us to look at and reflect on. Something that me, my mom, and grandmother always do is visit our family members graves and take them red flowers and other things representing the Christmas season. These are just two out of many ideas as to how to honor your past family members for Christmas.

Christmas can be a lot to handle with so many things going on at one time. I hope that these tips help make your Christmas season a little more manageable and enjoyable. Merry Christmas!!

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.

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Recommended for you

How To Survive Christmas

A few tips and tricks in making the best Christmas experience possible.

Remember the reason for the season.

Take a break.

Appreciate family time.

Make a game plan.

Honor family members who are no longer with you.

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10 ways to prepare for finals week—beginning with getting to the library.

Who knows where we would be without them.

1. Thank you for laughing at my jokes, even when they really aren’t funny.

2. Thank you for singing unbearably loud with me all the time.

3. Thank you for letting me vent to you for hours about anything and basically being my personal therapist.

4. Thank you for ordering pizza with me at 2 in the morning.

5. Thank you for all the movie days when we don’t feel like moving.

6. Thank you for being my workout buddy everyday.

7. Thank you for sharing your closets with me.

8. Thank you for taking naps with me at random hours during the day.

9. Thank you for cleaning our home with me when we absolutely need to.

10. Thank you for all the rides when it’s late and you don’t want me to walk home alone in the dark.

11. Thank you for studying with me in our kitchen when we didn't want to go the library.

12. Thank you for making dinner with me.

13. Thank you for helping with my hair, makeup and outfit every time we go out.

14. Thank you for taking countless ugly pictures with me.

15. Thank you for not judging me when I go too long without showering.

16. Thank you for making our apartment feel like a second home.

17. Thank you for being there through all of our boy troubles.

18. Thank you for giving me a hug when I feel homesick.

19. Thank you for getting excited with me when one of us gets a good grade on an exam.

20. Thank you for still being my friend and not judging me when I say or do dumb things.

21. Thank you for telling me what I should do when I am sick.

22. Thank you for dancing horribly with me everywhere we go.

23. Thank you for staying up super late with me when we aren’t tired or can’t sleep.

24. Thank you for being super weird with me.

25. Thank you for all the unforgettable college memories.

26. And most of all, thank you for being the best friends a girl could have.

I may or may not be stressing right now.

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3. "I’m going to ace this."

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5."I have no idea what I'm reading."

6. "I should call my smart friend about this."

7. "I’m going to fail. I’m going to fail."

8. "I’m dropping out of school."

9. "What grade do I have to get on the final to pass the class?"

10. "Oh, no, I have to do good."

11. "I shouldn’t have procrastinated all semester."

12. "I wanna go to bed."

13. "We did not learn this!"

14. "I should go get food."

15. "Why do we even have finals?"

16. "I don’t want to be at the library."

17. "Get off your phone."

18. "I can watch Netflix for like 20 minutes and then go back to studying."

19. "I shouldn’t have watched Netflix."

20. "You have to study now!"

The "Happiest Place on Earth" has a lot of characters with some pretty great advice.

Remember you’re the one who can fill the world with sunshine. — Snow White

The past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it. — Rafiki

You don't have time to be timid. You must be bold and daring. — Lumière

If watching is all you're gonna do, then you're gonna watch your life go by without ya. — Laverne

Sometimes the right path is not the easiest one. — Grandmother Willow

Always let your conscience be your guide. — Jiminy Cricket

To infinity and beyond. — Buzz Lightyear

Life is a journey to be experienced, not a problem to be solved. — Pooh

Let it go. — Elsa

If you can't say something nice, don't say nothin' at all. — Thumper

Today's special moments are tomorrow's memories. — Genie

It's a time of love, family, memory-making, and gift-giving. But also a time of stressing over the perfect gift.

Money

Socks

Blankets

Gift Cards

Hoodies and Sweatpants

Pajamas

Candles

A Fish

CDs

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