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We Can't Dodge Them Ten

Ten Things I'm Doing Differently to Survive the Holidays

Adding Letters to Cards:We don't do a lot of visiting during the holidays, but the few people we usually go to see are all at high-risk for covid-19. So instead they'll be getting a card in the mail with a letter (hopefully handwritten) from me with something funny to boost their spirits.

Altering Gift-Giving Strategies: This year I'm going to make at least one gift for the immediate family, which is my usual thing. However, I'm not going to do any shopping at all. Instead I'm opting to send E-gift cards to allow everyone on my list to enjoy a little shopping spree after the holidays. This way I avoid any in-store shopping and the forecasted delays for shipping online shopping purchases.

Bake More: In line with my hand made gifts, I'm going to make cookies, cakes or pastries for our immediate neighbors and family friends, and add the recipe to the gift so they can make more if they enjoy it.

Giving Myself a Pass: A big part of why I dislike Christmas so much is the annual guilt trip I take because I never feel like I do enough (this despite the fact that I do all the shopping, gift-wrapping, meals and decorating.) This year I'm excusing myself in advance for not making the holidays perfect. 2020 makes that literally impossible.

Nature Time: I usually don't spend a lot of time outdoors in December, but nature and exercise both boost my spirits. So every day that the weather permits I'd like to take a walk down by the lake or go for a hike in one of the local parks. This will be good for my guy, too.

Nixing Visitors: I'm asking everyone not to visit us in person during the holidays. This is just to avoid the virus more than anything. I will probably have Oliver and his parents over for a few hours on Christmas Day if we're their first stop.

Not Getting a New Dog Yet (Maybe): Within a month or two of losing one of our pups we usually acquire a new one. I asked my family to hold off on that, as I'm still mourning Cole and Skye. We also prefer to get our dogs young to train them, which is usually my responsibility, and dealing with a puppy during the holidays feels like too much. My daughter agreed, but she also reminded me that if we happen to find the right puppy for us during the holidays, we should give it a home. So this one is a maybe.

Scale Down the Celebrations: I always try to make Christmas nice for everyone else. I think this year I'm going to focus instead on keeping everything simple to eliminate fuss and stress. Maybe that will work.

Staying Home: We have an informal tradition of going out to see the town's annual Christmas light-up event. Nixing that to have a light-up night here at our house just for us. If the weather permits we'll have a fire in the backyard so we can relax afterward.

Writing the Holidays: I usually write much less during December so I can deal with the holidays and all they entail, which adds to my personal misery. This year I'm planning to write more. It's my happy place, and I deserve to be happy just like everyone else.

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