The holiday season is supposed to be a time of joy and togetherness, but between managing hosting duties, navigating the family dynamics and getting through a packed schedule, it can easily become an exhausting period. It sometimes takes a lot to survive the holidays, so have this survival guide handy if you need some help getting through it.
Before the event even begins, get yourself in the proper mindset. Try to switch off from social media, news feeds and other doomscrolling traps before gatherings to help ground yourself and avoid bringing external anxiety to the party. If the host is anxious, the guests will be too. At the same time, don’t expect perfection. We all know Thanksgiving and Christmas are never as perfect as we expect it to be. Keep that in mind and you’re already on the way to surviving the festive season this year.
The most important thing is to anticipate potential issues and have a plan. Some families can get away without a seating chart, but if yours can’t, make one. Separating clashing personalities and bringing together the harmonious ones stops friction before it begins. If it does happen, don’t get drawn into the argument. Be kind but firm if you’d rather the topic not stray into difficult territory. Figure out who is good at what tasks and delegate responsibilities accordingly. So no single person has too much to deal with, make sure tasks are broken up into small manageable steps that can be delegated to different people. You may also want to include scheduled breaks. Few people, even normally outgoing people, can survive the constant socializing without at least the occasional time-out. Make sure you’ve scheduled in time for yourself, whether it’s a brief walk or a moment of solitude in another room.
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