The holidays can be an exciting but also a stressful time. Family members gather to visit, there are presents and plenty of delicious food. The excitement of the holidays can involve getting to visit with family members who you might otherwise never see. They may live on the other side of the state or even the other side of the country. The holidays bring the pleasantries of seeing how their kids have grown up and the lifestyle they’ve been living.
The stress of the holidays includes dealing with work. A pharmacist may deal with sick customers or a retail worker may deal with holiday shoppers. There is buying presents, cooking holiday dishes, kids on holiday break from school, etc. You may have distant relatives visiting from out of town for a short period of time. If you’re going to be expecting house guests for the holiday season, there’s also the stress with preparing for their stay. You need to make sure the room they’re going to stay in is clean and comfortable. You should know how much space they’re going to be taking up. If you decide to get a new bed for the sake of their complete comfort, you should know queen bed dimensions in order to have just the right bed.
With so much going on during this time of year, you’re bound to be looking for a break anywhere you can. Throughout the years, you have likely found some ways of dealing with stress that can be used at any time of the year. You might wait until the kids go to bed to relax from a busy day. You might stay up late or wake up early in the morning just to have some time to yourself. You might finish icing Christmas cookies or wrapping Christmas presents. You could have your spouse or another adult in the house watching over the kids and give you a break. You could find activities to occupy your kids when you’re busy with holiday-related or just general household chores.
How much stress you experience during the holidays with kids depends on the age of the kids. If they’re elementary school age, they’re sure to have plenty of energy. They’re up early in the morning, especially on Christmas morning. They can play loudly with their siblings and sometimes that playtime can include screaming at each other. They’ll get upset and throw tantrums over minor things, such as not getting to help decorate Christmas cookies or their sibling eating the last cookie. They can be a handful the entire year, not just around the holidays.
Having a high school or college-age kid is different. They’re able to keep themselves occupied and aren’t screaming for your attention every five minutes. They like to sleep in which means you’re allowed to get out of bed when you’re ready. Even if they like to be up early, you don’t have to take care of breakfast for them. They can get ready for the day on their own and they might have plans to head out with friends. They don’t need your constant attention so you’re able to focus on your to-do list without too many interruptions.
The holidays become a lot less chaotic once a holiday arrives and afterward. All family members that are able to make it to the gathering are together in one house. There may be ten kids running around, but there are now seven adults who can give attention to their needs. There are extra pairs of eyes to make sure no one is getting too rowdy during playtime or when they want to run around outside.
As the holiday season comes around each year, you start to anticipate all that you’re going to be doing. You know what gatherings are coming up and whether the location of the gathering stays the same or changes. You have a pretty good idea of whether or not you should be expecting any guests. You know when holiday shopping should start in case a certain present is hard to find or needs to be ordered online. You know how to handle this time of year and keep it from becoming hectic and overwhelming.
