By Rita Smith, LCSW
Does it seem as if the holidays come faster and start sooner every year?
While many of us are filled with excitement and high expectations for spending time with family, going to parties, and giving gifts to loved ones, there can be a another, less festive side to the season.
The holidays become especially difficult if you are caring for a loved one who is ill or spending the first Christmas or New Year’s alone after a divorce or the loss of a spouse.
In a recent survey, 65% of the respondents described their stress level around the holidays as “very or somewhat” elevated. Much of that stress comes from trying to meet or exceed impossible expectations.
Anyone who has seen the classic comedy National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, with Chevy Chase as the holiday-obsessed husband and father Clark Griswold, has a sense of just how much can go wrong when you try too hard to make the holidays perfect. It’s important to remember that there is no perfect way to celebrate the holidays.