4 Things to Let Go Of This Holiday Season.
Having a perfectly clean home.
When you’re intentional about what you keep in your home (and declutter the rest!) its much easier to organize and clean before a big party. If you haven’t had a chance to do so, don’t let it hold you back from inviting friends over.
Most people would prefer to go to a less-than-perfectly clean home with relaxed hosts, than a super clean home with frazzled-hosts. Enjoying your time with the people you care about it is much more important than showing up to your own party on edge.
2. Getting the “perfect” gift for everyone.
(or getting gifts at all!)
The tradition of giving gifts is a lovely idea. In practice though, it can be difficult to find the “perfect” gift — even for those people who are close to us. As we get older, our perfect gifts start to be a lot more specific, and while writing wish lists can be helpful, rarely does buying a gift off of a list hold the same magic for the giver. For the people who are especially close to you, you might try planning an evening or afternoon out with them, instead of exchanging gifts. You could try a new restaurant, host a potluck, or go out for a fancy cocktail and catch up.
(Still want to give gifts? Here’s a list of 10 items that your friends and family, actually want. )
3. Your Phone.
Social media is a blessing and a curse. It’s great for sharing ideas and keeping up-to-date with friends and family who live far away, but it’s terrible for fully being present. Make a point this holiday to stay off your phone more. You might even declare a digital detox for the month of December and stay off all social media sites. Or at least delete the apps from your phone.
4. Talking About Work.
This holiday, try to let go of talking about work. Some of us work our dream jobs, and some of us don’t. Starting conversations with, “What do you do?” can not only lead to some super dull conversations (No one really wants to know how your new TPS report system works) and there are literally hundreds of other topics you can chat about.
Try asking people about good books they’ve read, if they’ve listened to any interesting podcasts, tried a new recipe or restaurant, seen a good movie, show, or play. You might end up learn something new!
Better yet, try to have some sort of activity when you meet up with friends and relatives. That way, the conversation can naturally unfold from the activity — think card games, pool tournaments, or wii brackets.
