Holidays: Juggling Joy and Stress

What do you find particularly difficult during the holidays?

Do you experience a time crunch? Are there some gatherings you wish you could skip?

How do you navigate family relationships? Do you feel burdened by expectations?

What do you do to alleviate stress? What are some good practices for gift-giving, shopping, cooking, etc.?

Are the holidays the one time when you can experience joy and good will? Do you look forward to them?

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Comments

[obgyn maricopa]

Im always hoping for good health. Thanks for creating this wonderful blog.

[DHD]

Thank you very much, Rebecca. This is nice coming from a stranger. I visited her tonight and she is still fairly alert and cognizant and recognizes people. This made me feel a little better just being able to visit with her and having her acknowledge me.

Thanks again

[Rebecca]

That is sad news, DHD. There is no good time of the year to lose a loved one, and holidays can seem so less cheerful when you are grieving.

My congregation gathers for a "Blue Christmas" midweek service before Christmas every year. It's a softer, less boisterous time to worship and celebrate the birth of Jesus, and prayers center on healing and comfort. It's meant to be a safe and sacred time for people to gather without having to "put it on" -- that happy face for family, friends and strangers who fill the pews, or those pat answers of "I'm fine" when people ask how you're doing. Crying is perfectly acceptable. So is being angry, confused or lonely. People who have suffered loss that year -- whether it be the death of a loved one, or maybe a job or a home, or a significant change in circumstance -- and those who come to support them gather for a "Blue Christmas" under the very same light of peace and hope but with a little less jingling and tingling.

DHD, I hope your aunt lives her final days secure in the love of her family, and that you all find comfort and solace in each other. I hope Christmas finds a way to fill your hearts in whatever ways you need it to, and I hope you allow yourself all the time you need to grieve even when you feel like everybody else around you is happy.

[DHD]

This will be a sad and stressful Christmas for my family and me. I found out yesterday, Wed, that my Aunt, who resides here in Findlay, has only has about 7-10 days to live. She has been on dialysis for almost 10 years. She had her last dialysis treatment yesterday (WED). Her body just can't take any more. In total, she's had about 1,700 treatments at 3@ week since 1998. A few years ago, she made the front page of the Findlay Courier by being the first dialysis patient to undergo 1,000 treatments I'll miss our weekly chats we had over the telephone.