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Celebrate the Holiday Your Way
Don’t like the holidays? No worries — reframe and celebrate your way
Let’s be honest, many people don’t like the holidays. According to research company ValuePenguin, 61% of Americans believed they would be sad or lonely during the holiday season in 2023.
37% of people surveyed stated they would skip the holidays entirely if they could.
Among the reasons cited were financial struggles, complicated family relationships, and social media.
In the past, I never looked forward to the period between Thanksgiving and New Year. I changed my thinking about a decade ago when I realized I could make the holidays my own, so when I realized I could make the holidays my own, so I created a pampering, time-of-peace, fun un-holiday just for me.
And you can too. Following are some suggestions to make the holidays more enjoyable. The key? Focus on yourself and what you want to do.
Start or Continue a Ritual
A ritual can be anything you do that brings you joy. For example, I watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy every year over Christmas, the Harry Potter movies usually between Christmas and New Year’s, and I make a homemade veggie lasagna on New Year’s Eve. I look forward to these things each year.
When I lived in New York City, I would join my Jewish friends and go to a movie and eat Chinese food on Christmas Day.
Some simple ideas that you could start doing each year include:
- Bake or cook something special that you wouldn’t normally eat. Or order takeout from a really nice restaurant in your area that you don’t normally eat at.
- Watch a few of your favorite movies and make it a habit to view them every year.
- Buy yourself gifts! You are the most important person in your life — buy yourself some fun things you might not otherwise treat yourself to.
- Take a walk or a hike to somewhere special, and start going back every year.
