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Most of my childhood memories of Christmas are pleasant. I was fortunate to belong to a close family. But one holiday my parents got into a huge argument. It shook me up. I cannot recall what it was about, but I imagine it had to do with being stressed out. Hey, raising 5 kids is no easy task! As a spouse and parent I have pleasant and painful memories too. Seeing the look on my children’s face when they rip open the Christmas wrap to discover their wish has come true is priceless! Yet, missing the moment because it’s not my holiday with the kids this year was a harsh reality of divorce I later endured. I imagine you have your happy and sad memories too. We all do. Nobody has a “Hallmark greeting card” holiday every year. It may look like that on the outside, but don’t let the decorations fool you. In many homes the holidays are stressful. In some cases, dreadful. The holiday season is about embracing faith and family. Sadly, it is commercialized to an extreme. Black Friday, Cyber Monday ignite shopping mania! Events, parties, pageants, and a slew of activities fill the calendar. Buckle up. The December run has begun!Your Holiday Relationship Survival Guide
No worries, I have your back! I am releasing “Your Holiday Relationship Survival Guide”. It will begin on December 11th. You can receive the FREE guide by clicking here. For 12 consecutive days you will receive a short video that will help you address one of the many challenges of the holidays. My cohost, Amanda Berlin on The All About We Podcast and I talk about the things that add stress during the holidays. I offer some practical tips you can use to keep the happy in the holidays. Each video is 10 minutes or under. Easy and on-the-go! Take a quick look at the topics the Survival Guide will cover.- Managing expectations: your family’s, your friends’ and your own!
- Materialism and obligations: the things that sap the true meaning of the holidays
- Grief: the crushing sadness that sometimes permeates the season
- Family drama:the nagging, the passive aggression, and the downright insulting stuff that makes you want to stay away all together
- Spending: the financial pressure of the season
- Loneliness: deal with feeling disconnected during the “most wonderful time of the year”
- Overwhelm:so many demands, so little time
- Exhaustion: the pressure to spread ourselves too thin
- Self-Esteem: managing temptation with indulgence
- Travel: finding peace during the most volatile of all holiday experiences
- Estrangement: learn to repair or deepen bonds with meaningful people in your life
- Kid craziness: enjoy the holidays through you kids’ eyes, instead of living in fear that they will misbehave