Holy moly, is December shaping up to be a hectic month. A combination of familial, social and professional obligations is resulting in a busy holiday period for my girlfriend and me. Family traditions and dinners, social gatherings, house-decorating events and staff parties are dominating what would typically be our free time for the next few weeks. We tried to stay on top of things this December by planning out our month on a calendar. This exercise confirmed we’ll be attending events on 11 separate evenings or afternoons leading up to Christmas. In between all of that, we’ll try to squeeze in some gift shopping for our friends and relatives. Combine these social interactions with regular work-related demands, and it’s easy to see how the busy holiday period can be overwhelming or stressful. My girlfriend and I have agreed to try to counter this stress by taking some time for ourselves. The first weekend of December, we enjoyed an overnight trip to the Bow Valley. We went for a soak in the Banff Upper Hot Springs, enjoyed a short hike near Canmore, did some window-shopping and bloated ourselves by eating way too much good restaurant food. We both agreed to not bring any work with us on our little “escape,” and to appreciate the time together as much as possible. Considering how busy we’ve been for the last few months, it was a great idea and one of the most enjoyable weekends I can remember in a long time. I’ve been reading up on the phenomenon of Christmas-related stress, and there is a lot of research backing up the suggestion that the holidays can be the hardest time of the year. Financial pressures, uncomfortable interactions with family, Christmas’ blatant commercialism and a heavier-than-usual workload can cause a lot of mental anguish. Whether it’s due to Hallmark movies, advertising campaigns or other causes, most people have idyllic expectations of what Christmas is supposed to look like. That can result in disappointment when the holiday doesn’t go exactly the way you hoped it would. Personally, I’ve always looked forward to the Christmas season. When I was still in school, this time of year marked a welcome reprieve from lectures, studying and essay writing (after exam season, at least). Now, it’s a chance to visit family and catch up with friends who come back to Calgary for the holidays. I like my family’s annual Christmas traditions and rituals, I enjoy both giving and receiving presents and I certainly enjoy a big turkey dinner. But as Dec. 25 gets closer and Christmas-related obligations start to pile up, I’ll try to remember to relax – as much as I’m able to, anyway.
