Reducing Friction

That poor guy; leaving the tree farm with the oversized hallmark of MERRY blinding his sight at every turn. Magical right?

I feel you dude. And SAME.

Unfortunately, as happy as the holidays look from afar, they can also become the place our greatest expectations become disappointments (I am looking at you Pinterest!)

So, here’s a list of things it’s ENTIRELY appropriate to do this month:

1. Turn off all notifications and take off your bra as soon as the sun sets. In Madison, that would be 4:23 today.

2. Forget St. Nicks, the elf or ‘lose’ the invitation to Cookies with Santa.

3. Repurpose toys your kids forgot about, wrap them right back up and put them under the tree.

4. Say no to devices and turn on a holiday classic YOU love. Ten minutes in you’ll either have a fun family movie experience or your kids will find a screen free way to entertain themselves.

5. Know the amazon prime delivery schedule like clockwork but forget your kid has early dismissal every Monday. EVERY Monday.

6. Opt out of family pajamas even though it feels like everyone is doing it. (Not us)

7. Skip the holiday cards. Or do less expensive post cards. Even New Years or Valentines may be less stressful if you really want to get something out.

8. Buck tradition and order carryout. Chipotle caters for as few as 10 people and has served us Christmas Eve several times.

9. Tell your kids/roommate/partner there is a planned ‘brown out’ approaching and quietly cut the power at a certain time. Light candles. Get flashlights. See what happens. One way or another you’ll have a story.

10. Turn the clocks ahead 3-4 hours on NYE (even Christmas Eve!) if you have little ones. Midnight is so overrated.

Remember it is 100% OK for the holidays to look and feel different each year. There is no rung we need to surpass from last year to make this year ‘better.’ That nagging feeling comes entirely from comparison. Stop it.

Consider this your permission slip to lower the bar so far you trip over it. Just keep the tree off your windshield so you can see.

Please add to the list of things we CAN do this month - or drop something you will completely cross off to make your life easier!