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Tis the Season! I was out with the crowds last Friday afternoon – looking forward to picking out some lovely gifts for those I hold dear. But….wait a second – that was not a fun nor fulfilling experience at all!
Traffic was congested, parking lots were packed and tempers were running high…with lots of erratic moves by drivers, and an unusual amount of horns blowing…the stress in the air was palpable!
Once I finally arrived back home I plugged in my Christmas tree lights and sat it the quiet for a few minutes – I started to feel “settled” and the Christmas spirit and what I envisioned that to be and feel like, reappeared.
It struck me in that moment that this season truly is like living in a Snowglobe… you have a clear vision in your mind of how it could look – crisp snow, twinkling lights, gifts around the tree….and then there’s the shake-up of trying to make that vision a reality – with all the stress that ensues – and which clouds your beautiful picture – until you can stop…slow down…breathe…and let the chaos settle.
But what gets in our way? Trying to shop too close to Christmas is one for sure! But in addition to that perhaps it is continuing habits and traditions that may no longer work for us? The great news is – we can fashion a whole new picture if we choose to!
In her blog “Some Traditions are Made To Be Broken” – author Kate Northrup shared some great thoughts and tips:
“There’s a tendency around the holidays to fall into the groove of doing the same things every year simply because that’s the way we’ve always done them. I’m quite sentimental and I love a good tradition sprinkled here and there. But what makes me feel trapped is doing the same thing year after year without asking if it’s even fun anymore.
If you love your traditions, keep them going! But if you don’t, give yourself permission to break them. This year, why not give yourself and those in your life the gift of honoring what feels good and true by keeping only the traditions that truly nourish you?”
When my daughters were little we had lots of traditions that involved their grandparents and all the wonders of Santa – and Christmas day was spent enjoying the awe of it all. In their mid-to-late teen years, their grandparents had passed – so we fashioned a new tradition. We’d pop the turkey into the oven and go to see a movie. We all love movies and we enjoyed that new tradition very much! This year, we have a new little addition to our family – so our traditions will once again be opened up to new possibilities and we will adjust to some new wonders and fun.
What traditions nourish your soul? And which ones are you ready to break?
Sending warmest Holiday Wishes to you all!
Catherine Munro is the Chief of Staff and Joy Facilitator at Change My Life Coaching and Change My Business Coaching. Catherine’s role as Chief of Staff is to give Executive Support to our CEO and Chief Value Officer. She is the go-to resource for the senior team to lead key corporate initiatives and to get special projects done which promote and support our corporate goals, mission and vision, as well as managing the day-to-day of the executive office. Catherine’s role as Joy Facilitator is to lead, support and articulate the culture of Change My Life Coaching and Change My Business Coaching and to be there for our clients, from their first initial contact and as they move through their coaching journey. You can reach her at [email protected]
In addition, Catherine is a Master Reiki practitioner with In Quiet Company (www.inquietcompany.com)
