Put on your running shoes!

Holiday Sprint

“The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is to high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.”

Fredrich Nietzsche

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about celebratory and non-celebratory people. We are now into the sprint of back-to-back holidays. We humans barely have time to digest the candy from Halloween before the turkey and dressing are upon us, and then there's all that shopping and cooking to do for Christmas, or Hanukkah, or, in some Islamic countries, Mawlid. There will be guests, and parties, and street parades, and food, and decorating, and cleaning up after all of it. Celebratory people love it, they get to change the decorations three times in just over a month! It's great! For we, who are non-celebratory types, this is easily the most difficult and stressful time of the year. We just want to curl up in a ball and sleep for a month or two.

Last night, I dreamed about a friend who was feeling overwhelmed by all she had on her plate; she cried about not being able to do it, and lamented that she didn't how she could possibly get out of her obligations. But, let me tell you, we “non-celebs” can decide not to get caught up in the frenzy, and now is the time to make our plan. We can decide which events we will attend or host in the next two months, and we can hatch our excuses for all the others. It's permissible. Nowhere does it say that you have a life-long obligation to celebrate holidays with your tribe—this is not a contractual arrangement in which you will be dragged into a court of law and jailed for saying, “No!”

We can think of ways to shop that WE enjoy. Personally, I like antique malls and flea markets, because they have a little bit of everything at discounted prices. Or, if we're handy, we can make some gifts. I like to sew, so I make bags of different sorts. I also like to give non-essentials like flowers, or make soup for distribution. Whatever suits YOUR fancy, and YOUR means, is exactly what you should do. Do what gives you joy, and the joy will be felt in your gift. Take ownership of yourself. Decide now that, while you love your tribe, you choose not to be overwhelmed by them.

                                                       In the Spirit,

                                                            Jane