Curating your holidays can lead to more joy for you and loved ones
I’ve noticed something interesting this year. As the holiday season commences, article after article in the popular press has emphasized the misery of the holidays. Even a Food & Cooking article in The Wall Street Journal said, “Actual Thanksgiving tables tend to be commandeered by those two perennial guests, Stress and Anxiety.” Yikes!
Look, I get it. When I was a therapist, my business in Q4 was dominated by helping clients navigate complicated family dynamics and unreasonable self-inflicted standards. But really, does it have to be like this? Is it utterly unrealistic to think the holidays might be joyful and fun?
A Curating Your Life approach to the holidays
Even in this time of global conflict and heightened anxiety, I see a way to bring merriment back to the holidays. I propose applying my Curating Your Life model to how we approach and navigate the next two months.
Here’s how it works: Make a list of all the things you plan to do — the gifts, the decorations, the invitations, the food preparation, etc. And then put all those tasks into three categories:
Unnecessary — they may be your tradition, but no one, including you, cares about them.
Necessary but unimportant.
The main show — the things you really care about.
Once that is done, follow this road map:
Unnecessary — don’t do it.
Necessary but unimportant — settle for “good enough.”
The main show — put your energy and creativity here.
I’ll be hosting Thanksgiving for about 30 people this year. Here are some examples from my three categories:
Decorate the house for Thanksgiving — nope, couldn’t care less.
Make turkey stuffing — I’ll use the packaged stuff because it’s good enough.
Make my mother’s sausage rolls — I love them, they’re a showpiece, and I want them to be great.
Thoughtful choices help de-stress home and work
Those are some of my choices. Yours may be quite different. But going through the curation exercise and curating your holidays will enable you to spend your energy on what matters to you instead of frittering away that energy and your precious time on the unimportant stuff.
Why am I writing about this home-based challenge in a newsletter about business leadership? Because we all know that home-based stress bleeds over into the office. And because leaders who are feeling calm and joyful will do a much better job than those who are freaking out. When you set priorities and curate your holidays, you’re also curating your life. In fact, my book, Curating Your Life, makes a lovely gift for a friend or colleague who’s struggling to do it all.
Happy holidays!
