The words unhurried and holidays don’t seem to really go together.  In Fact you could say they’re opposites! But I want you to start seeing them as 2 words that were made to go side by side.

 

This concept of an unhurried holiday season may seem totally foreign and I know you can think of 1 million reasons why it just simply wouldn’t work for you and your family or stage or location or….the list goes on.

 

HOW IT’S DONE

Slow holiday seasons are actually not something I developed on my own and truth be told I’ve never really known fully the hustle and bustle that comes with Nov. Dec.  Growing up we lived in a completely (and far away) different state than my family. And with four siblings travel was out of the question. So holidays were just us. Yes grandparents came to visit but my grandparents were as slow living and loving as they come so stress was never something they brought us.

 

Today we live in the same state as our parents but not the same town.  And since our own siblings are scattered about our own parents are usually making the rounds themselves or settled in their own home for a time of rest.  Due to my husbands job we could never actually work out a plan (with or without kids) to travel and visit so home we sat as the rest of the world flew around us.

 

PERMISSION TO SLOW DOWN

I want to give you a holiday pass.  The permission to be slow this season and for the seasons to come.  

 

The guilt that comes with travel and kids and packing and presents and pleasing and cooking and and and.  That is truly truly guilt friend and today I’m allowing you to toss out that guilt. And yes, your actions may affect others plans but … is that something that can be managed in a kind way or is it something that dictates your decisions?

 

HERE’S YOUR PASS

The first thing to apply your pass in real life is to set boundaries.  The only other person that actually needs to be involved here is your spouse.  And you need to let your spouse know, the only other person involved when setting family boundaries is yourself!  See how that works? It’s just the two of you!

 

Next, communicate your boundaries in a loving way and apply your boundaries in the, not so apparent, areas.  Set restrictions on your phone to stay off social, call your mom and give her the true story.

 

Lastly, apply your holiday pass by preparing your season.  Take a few minutes to plan out what your holidays will look like as you slow down.  This is different and it’s not going to look like the rest of the world so, no pinterest needed.  

 

If you want to use pen and paper do it, if you just want to talk it out that’s fine too.  But the idea here is to get ready for this time in your life to be new. It’s unhurried and unrushed.  The commitments and shopping and lists and kids and meals will all be a little different than they were last year and that. is. okay.!!!!

 

LAY IT DOWN

Once you’ve decided to take your pass and slow it down that does not mean you won’t blink and it be March.  Time still tends to fly especially with little ones around. You know the saying, take a picture, it will last longer.  Well….here is the chance to pull out a few moments in your season to document.

 

I highly encourage photos as a part of enjoyment and slowing down during the holidays.  It’s fun to get family photos for cards and pics by the tree or in your jammies. But it can be a point of frustration for the rest of the family and it sure doesn’t need to be.  I created a guide for you to get the pic and then be able to put the phone far far away and rest in the moment! HERE IT IS!

 

Mentions:

Holiday Phone Pics Cheat Sheet  |  Boundaries by Henry Cloud  |  Guilt vs Conviction Blog Post