HOLIDAYS: PEACE OR STRESS?

Well, "The Holidays" will soon be upon us. This is the time of the year when families get together and express their love for each other...a time when good will is supposed to abound. But in reality this is the probably the most stressful time of the year.

We all want that lovely Courier & Ives or Normal Rockwell version of the holidays, but they just don't exist like that, unfortunately. Just the fact that we think we must try to make the holidays as ideal and "Christmas Card" picture as possible is probably the most stressful cause of holiday breakdowns.

Holidays mean families......families mean people..........people mean varied personalities and emotions....personalities and emotions often mean strife and arguments. Families feud all year long. Families ignore other family members all year long. Then because it is "The Holidays", all is supposed to be forgiven and forgotten. That seldom happens...a day or 2 days will not change 360 some odd days previous during the year.

We try so hard to make things happen and to make the holidays a good memory that at times we forget about the real meaning of these days and the unpredictability of the human nature. We forget that we can't change people, even those in our families and we can't "order" them to be happy and compatable just for a holiday.

Keep in mind all the people you might want to bring together just so you can eat a meal together or whatever else is done to celebrate the holidays. Is the risk of an uncomfortable gathering worth it all? Probably not.

What to do then? Just limit your expectations a little and let the holidays run their course. Don't try so hard to make things ideal and perfect. Just let things happen as they will. Most of all lower your stress levels so that you can actually enjoy "The Holidays".



ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: What TV show character always said, Well, I'll be a dirty bird…? George Gobel
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What was the first toy advertised on TV?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: I’m having an out of money experience