Who would have thought that ADDING something to the busy holiday season actually brought me more peace.
Usually, I focus on letting things go during the holidays.
Does that sound like something you could use during a stressful season of your life?
I’m excited to share with you today how creating my own holiday has brought a new life and excitement to a busy season that, in the last few years, had been bringing lots of negative emotions with it.
I want to tell you about one of my favorite holiday’s that’s coming up this weekend. Decorbruncheon.
Never heard of it?
That’s because I made it up.
Yup.
I added a holiday to the busiest time of the year.
Why would anyone do that?
Truth is that it’s saved my sanity.
How could adding something to an already packed month make me say that it saved my sanity? It’s brought me peace, excitement and a TON of joy, actually!
It did!
And continues to do so.
Let me explain.
I am in my 27th year of being a wife and parent.
While I have loved so many things about that, there is a lot of stress that is embedded in almost everything you do.
So many people to please.
I have always been a people pleaser, which when you add more and more people to your life, there are way more people to please, and guess who you end up pleasing last….
Yourself.
Of course, I didn’t even realize I was doing that until MAYBE 3-4 years ago.
But it feels easier to go along with what everyone else needs or wants.
I let what I wanted go most of the time.
I don’t mean to make this a “poor me” episode or anything.
I have been treated so well and have always felt loved.
I just didn’t speak up on what or how I wanted to do things sometimes.
And that is no one’s fault but my own.
So, because of all this people pleasing, I felt like I wasn’t getting what I wanted and while I’m not totally against trying to make it work for the people I love, I ended up feeling disappointed a lot.
Let me try to explain a little better.
The holidays.
When you get married, all of a sudden you have two families to try to share the holidays with.
What’s the best way to divide the time?
When everyone lives pretty close together, how do you decide where to go, when, and how to make everyone feel loved?
Every other year worked out great for my husband and I because we were either the first or second in our families to get married. Setting that up worked well.
One year at one family for Thanksgiving, and to the other family for Christmas.
Add in a few kids.
Do you take the kids to Grandma’s on Christmas morning or do it at your own house?
Does Grandma come to your house?
Does that count as Grandma’s Christmas visit or is an extra visit needed?
Pack up the kids and drive in the snow?
It gets even more difficult the older they get.
What about when kids can’t get off work for the holidays?
What if they actually work at those places that stay open on Thanksgiving and now their work schedule doesn’t fall into the family schedule of who’s year it is?
What about when the kids start getting married or have significant others and they want to spend time with the “other” family?
What if that doesn’t go along with the every-other holiday rotation that you’ve had set up for 25 years?
Now what?
Just let it all go and be happy with whoever shows up?
Do multiple dinners and make ridiculous amounts of food just to keep everyone happy?
I’ve done all of those options.
I found myself looking back and wondering why I didn’t just decide what was best for me and my little family in that moment.
Turns out, it was no one’s fault but my own.
I’m sure you can relate in some ways, and maybe if not, you can understand and see when overburden sets in, and feel empathy.
Like I said, I created this myself.
So, I’ve decided to create a holiday that no one else celebrates so that there is no dividing up anyone’s time or adding to their burden of what to do.
That is why I created Decorbruncheon.
This is how it works:
I have chosen the Saturday after Thanksgiving as Decorbruncheon.
I put together an amazing brunch spread that can fill our table and feed us all as we decorate for Christmas. Don’t want to help decorate, that’s fine too. Let’s set up a puzzle, put on a Christmas movie and video games and everyone is happy.
Something for everyone for whenever they can come.
It makes me giddy just thinking about it.
We did it last year and it was a hit!
Now it’s a tradition.
It’s evolving and taking root and with no expectations or rules set up by the world, it becomes my holiday without competition.
And no one feels guilt if they can’t come.
Again, no expectations.
My daughters and the most excited of course because they love decorating with all the things they grew up loving and now they are a part of the set up.
It feels like a happy day.
Light and easy.
That’s how I should have set up all the holidays of the past.
With age comes experience.
And while I may not be thrilled about the aging thing,
I’ll take it with how I feel more confident in my choices.
Thank you so much for joining me today.
I hope that you will enjoy your holiday season with your family in the way that works best for you.
Do you have special holiday traditions that are different than what most people do?
I’d love to hear about them!!! I’ll be posting pictures of our Decorbruncheon on Instagram and in the Facebook group. Come take a look and share yours with me. Make sure you tag me in your posts so I can see!!! I’m always up for new ideas…as long as they fit in with what works for us!!!
Here’s a little heads up for those of you who are listening to this episode around Thanksgiving 2022. I’ve got a Black Friday thru Cyber Monday deal for you. I have recently built a special place for my Workshops and classes to live all the time so you can get the help you need when you need it. I’ll be adding more as the time goes, but for this special deal, I am offering you a 50% off discount on my classes!! Any of them. Camp Connection is in there. Uniquee Connection is in there (that’s the biggest savings you’ll get on this one. Just sayin’). I also have classes on Time Management, Self-Commitment and lots more coming. That 50% off will be for the courses you see. Just use the code: BLACKFRIDAY22 to save half off. I’m really excited to offer this to my listeners. I want to thank you for all your support as I’ve been building this podcast. You’ve been nothing but kind and I want you to know how much that means to me. I’ll include the code in the show notes too but again, it’s BLACKFRIDAY22 to get 50% off all my current courses. If you’ve wanted to take Uniquee Connection, this is an insane deal if I’m going to be honest. The code won’t work after November 28, 2022. So, register for the classes you want the 25-28. You have a full year to complete them, so sign up for all of them at 50% off.
Until next week, Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and Happy Decorbruncheon!
And remember,
I see you. I understand how hard you’re trying, and I’d like to help however I can.
Have a wonderful day and I’ll see you back here next week.
Sign up for a Free Mini-Mentor Session: https://hunkeedori.com/MiniMentor
Tip Tuesday Video Link: https://youtu.be/YuawsaJgL4A
Uniquee Connection Method:
Option #1: Video Course https://hunkeedori.com/UCMCourse
Option #2: One-on-One Coaching https://hunkeedori.com/UCMBundle
Use the code: BLACKFRIDAY22 to save 50% from November 25-28, 2022
Take a Workshop: https://hunkeedori.com/Courses
Use the code: BLACKFRIDAY22 to save 50% from November 25-28, 2022
Join the Keeping it Together Community: www.hunkeedori.com/community