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Home › Articles › Holiday: Winter › Goodbye, Bah Humbug!

Goodbye, Bah Humbug!

8 Ways to Reclaim the Holiday Spirit

By Sue Marquette Poremba

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"We generally alternate with visiting family and staying home, with the family sometimes visiting us on those years," Opper says. She admits that the most stressful time is before the departure for the holiday. "Once we arrive, life is much easier," she says.

Kathleen Whitfield of Culver City, Calif., says that her family stays home over the holidays. "My husband works in a business with limited time off for Christmas, and my family lives too far away," she says. "So we visit family at other, less stressful times of the year."

Reclaiming the Season

Not everybody can avoid visiting with the relatives, but most families would like to have the chance to slow down during the holidays, to spend time together or just have a day to unwind. Here are a few suggestions on what families can do to reclaim the holiday season:

  • Walk the dog, rest or find quiet moments alone. "The increase of social interaction makes private moments even more precious," says Smitson.
  • Know your limits. Smitson suggests avoiding the overload of food, alcohol, shopping or parties typical during the season.
  • Don't attend functions if you have no desire to be there. "Too often we find ourselves going to holiday parties or visiting with people that we would rather not see," says Theresa Castro, author of The Dark Before the Dawn: 70 Secrets to Self-Discovery (H&e Publishing, 2003).

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