Making The Most Of Holidays During Hard Times

There’s no way around that fact that Thanksgiving and other end-of-year celebrations will be different this year. New and confusing emotions may be coming up as we contemplate being away from those we love and traditions we cherish. Here are some ways to help make this season as joyful as it can be:

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1. Look for meaning in big and small things. You may not be jazzed about logging into Zoom to share your turkey, but the fact that eating a meal together is important to you and your digital guests speaks volumes about what you mean to each other. Near or far, the people and what they mean to you are the essence of the holidays. If you really want to stretch your gratitude, try sitting with appreciation for the technology that makes connection possible.
2. Give meaningful gifts. If you celebrate a tradition where gifts are exchanged, take this year to think deeper about what, how, and why you give. Perhaps you’ve always given gift cards or loaded up your online shopping cart to celebrate the season. This year, consider that a smaller, handmade, or meaningful gift may be more appropriate and/or appreciated. If you have more time on your hands and less money, as many people do, give yourself the gift of intentional, meaningful giving. This might be something like cookies, a scarf, or a video of you singing your nephew's favorite song. Checking gifts off a list doesn’t feel as good as sending something you chose or made with love.
3. Practice self-care by creating meaningful seasonal experiences. Whether it’s sitting by a candle with a cup of tea, hand-writing a letter to an old friend, decorating your living space with handmade snowflakes, or making cookies with your favorite wintery spices, there are ways to feel festive without the parties and gatherings we’re used to. The holidays aren’t cancelled; they can still be festive in smaller, cozier ways.
4. Remember it won’t always be this way. We’re wrapping up a year in which most people have experienced some kind of loss, from the obvious things like employment, housing, and loved ones, to less tangible things like social connections and a sense of safety and normalcy. In the midst of grief and loss, it can be a struggle to connect to the reality that this is temporary. Rest assured that it is. In the meantime, we can hope that the losses we suffer are experienced with compassion for self and others, and a stubborn clinging to optimism, however far away, that things will change.