Give Yourself the Gift of Me-Time
Advice for the overwhelmed this holiday season
Give Yourself the Gift of Me-Time
Well, folks, since I already went hard on Christmas-as-naked-capitalism a couple weeks ago, today I thought Hey, why not come for holiday-parties-as-the-tenth-circle-of-Hell?
To that end: ‘tis certainly the season to eat, drink, and make merry in the company of family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and hordes of small children on a collective month-long sugar high.
And, hey, sometimes a round of Bing Crosby karaoke and a bottomless bowl of boozy cranberry punch is exactly what you needed to decompress on a Tuesday night in December!
Just not, you know, every Tuesday night in December. And Wednesday. And EVERY SINGLE FUCKING WEEKEND.
Even for those who don’t personally observe the Nativity—between the office parties, school pageants, and your condo’s annual doorway decorating contest, Christmas finds a way.
If you let it trample all over you like eight tiny reindeer, then sooner or later your cup of holiday cheer will runneth over, and getting the stain out of your shirt is gonna be a real pain in the jingle bells.
(Where “the stain” = total exhaustion and year-end depletion of both your social and financial capital. Not to mention tinsel in places you never knew existed.)
If this sounds suspiciously like your own personal Ghost of Christmas Future, take heed! For like Ebenezer Scrooge himself, you still have time to rewrite this story.
To wit:
For any gathering you haven’t yet RSVP’d to, pledge to say yes only to those that will reliably tickle your mistletoe—and a polite No thanks, can’t make it! to everything else.
You could even say Bummer, I have another party that night. Have fun! Nobody has to know it’s a solo soirée in your bathtub with a glass of single malt and the latest Jack Reacher.
I promise you, it’s okay to take a pass. Politely declining an invitation may knock you off the guest list, but it won’t land you on the Naughty List destined for a stocking full of coal. (Though frankly, three lumps of black gold sounds better than literally any workplace holiday party I’ve ever attended. Food for thought!)
And BTW: not caring to flex roasted chestnuts at every opportunity doesn’t make you a bad person!
You can enjoy the company of your family and friends but still choose an evening to yourself over building gingerbread houses with a bunch of sticky-fingered nieces and nephews.
You can cordially respect the people who sweat it out with you at Pilates three nights a week; that doesn’t mean you have to go caroling with them.
You can love being with your partner yet still cherish your me-time. My husband is my favorite person, but he is more than welcome to fly solo to any and all potluck feasts featuring people I don’t know very well and/or So-and-So’s Famous Candy Cane Casserole.
The fact is—the holiday season brings SO many parties filled with SO many people and SO much soul-crushing small talk that taking some time for yourself to relax and recharge is paramount if you have any hope of surviving the fresh hell that is January.
I mean, have you met January?
And if it’s too late to send your regrets because you’ve already said yes to every Tiny Tim, Dick, and Harry who invited you out for two-for-one eggnogs this month—well, I take some responsibility for failing to write this post until near-mid-December. My bad.
As such, and while I do not typically endorse last-minute cancellations (rude), there may be some wiggle room here if you’re feeling desperate…
For although Greg and Javi will miss you at their Mystery Gift Swap tomorrow night (and it is a bit naughty to bail at this late hour), it’s also true that there are several highly contagious viruses floating around these days that nobody and their party guests want for Christmas.
Deck your excuses with a few boughs of light coughing, and I’m sure G&J will agree that you’d be doing everyone a favor by playing it safe and staying home.
Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with Santa.
PS: I humbly submit that even the most social animals could use an occasional night off. I once read that if given the chance, a puppy will continue playing with a rotating cast of humans with no breaks and no sleep until it dies. Cautionary tale!
