Away from Home

If you’re in college or are living away from family and friends, there are many ways to cope. We live in the world of FaceTime, so take full advantage of it. It’s so important to stay connected, especially in the times we live in now. There are so many means of communication. Set up time with your family and friends to call them while “cheers”ing over a glass of wine over.

If you want to spend the holidays with people but are new in town, a great way to connect to others is through church (if that’s your thing) or volunteering. Helping others feels good and well, it’s just nice. Great places to start: food kitchens, food banks, shelters, missionaries, etc.

With Family

Family time can be amazing as it is stressful. The best thing is to find balance. Try to give yourself time to just unwind, relax and breathe. Are you celebrating at 4 different houses, are you making dishes for each or are you hosting at your house this year? Regardless, there are ways to cut down stress. If you’re hosting, suggest a potluck where each person can bring one dish to help lighten the load. If you’re making a dish for each party you’re going to, why not make the same dish for each one? This takes away the stress of having to make 4 different dishes. As far as managing stress relating to family, you’re on your own. Just kidding! Honestly, it can get very hectic with the entire family in one house. Old business gets brought up, new business begins to stir, add alcohol and it’s a recipe for who knows what.

During the holidays, I always try to remind myself of all the things I have to be grateful for, #1 being my family. There are people who don’t have the luxury to celebrate the holidays with their loved ones at all. So, I try to never take those moments for granted. After losing my dad earlier this year, every celebration (big or small) is special to me. I mean, how lucky are we to just be alive? To have food, a home, warm clothes, all of it. We are so so so blessed.

With Friends

If you’re lucky enough, you have friends that you consider family. If you have friends who love to host and throw parties, you’ve heard of Friendsiving, Galsgiving, Friendsgivingmas and Friendsmas. People love food, people love drinking and people love a good party. Why not take every moment to celebrate what we’re grateful for: the people we care most about?  Yes, this may be another one of those potlucks you have to make something for, but these generally tend to be the party with the lease amount of stress attached to it.

Gift Exchanges and Party Themes

Money can get tight around this time of year with all the parties and gifts. There are a lot of affordable food options and recipes you can pick from. Also, generally the gift exchange is optional and you do not need to participate if you don’t want to. If the party has a theme like ugly sweater, you can make that with anything old clothes you have lying around or ask around to see if you can borrow one from someone. I mean, why spend $30 on a sweater you’ll wear once. Another option is checking your local thrift shop.

I’ve always appreciated sentimental and thoughtful gifts over pricey ones. I value experiences over expensive gifts so much more. Technology changes every year but the memories we make last forever. Try to keep that in mind when gifting this holiday season. The best gift isn’t always the biggest gift.

There is no one size fits all for the holidays (that’s what makes it so fun), but I hope some of these ideas helped. The holidays are not about all the food, gifts or even football (yes, I said it!). The holidays are about spending quality time with the important people in your lives while remembering what you’re grateful for. Happy holidays to you and yours and happy celebrating, however that looks like.

With love,

Linh