Holiday Season Survival: Budget, Show Respect & Prioritize Health

It’s that time of year again – the temperature is dropping, the leaves are changing and pumpkin spice lattes are everywhere (for better or worse). You’re likely dusting off your sweaters and winter boots and putting away shorts and swimsuits. All indicators that the holiday season is nearly upon us are in full view.

But before you can even get rid of all your Halloween candy, stores begin blasting “Jingle Bells” and putting out their Thanksgiving and holiday decorations. You may even spot “A Charlie Brown Christmas” on your television. The holiday creep is real, and retailers seem to be the guiltiest offenders, displaying retail items and decorations earlier and earlier each year.

Let’s also not forget about the endless amount of sweet treats that inevitably appear in homes and around offices this time of year. Even for people who enjoy the holiday season, all of this can feel a bit overwhelming – for your mind, bank account and blood sugar.

So how does one survive the holiday season with their sanity, waist size and wallet intact? It requires a lot of strategy and a bit of planning. Here are a few tips for maintaining your mental health and helping those around you – in the office and at home.

Learn How to Say No

It’s OK to say no to things, especially holiday parties or events. It’s common to have a fear of missing out or just feel guilty about not attending. However, maintaining balance and mental health is super important, and often even more so doing the holiday season. This time of year can be emotionally triggering for a variety of reasons – perhaps it’s the first holiday without a loved one, or maybe you’re newly single or just experienced a change in your financial circumstances that’s limiting your budget. All of these things are valid reasons for not wanting to attend a party. However, you don’t need a scheduling conflict to say no. If you don’t want to go, a polite decline to the host is sufficient enough.

Set a Budget

It’s easy to fall into the trap of buying something because it’s on sale and you feel like you’re saving money. But if you spend a bunch of money on things that are all on sale, are you really saving money? The answer is no. Black Friday is the worst culprit for this. Consumers are inclined to purchase items just because they are drastically discounted – even if they don’t need them. You can avoid this by setting a holiday budget. Be realistic – if you know you’re going to do some shopping, include a line item for Black Friday shopping and a separate one for holiday gifts. If you have various groups of people you need to buy for, consider doing a gift exchange so you only have to buy a gift for one person instead of purchasing gifts for everyone. I come from a family of six, so we would often pick a name and buy for one person instead of all six. It was bliss for my bank account and a lot less stressful.

Respect Other’s Beliefs

I grew up in a bi-religious home – my mother is Christian and my dad is Bahai, which means he doesn’t celebrate Christmas. Growing up, it was always an interesting dance in balancing and respecting the interests of each parent’s faith. We still had a Christmas tree and Christmas dinner, but we knew the Christmas presents would come from my mother (although gifts aren’t necessarily religious observations anyway) and he likely wasn’t going to attend church service with us. Growing up like this allowed me to better understand that we have many religions in our country and not everyone celebrates Christmas. Particularly in office settings, it’s important to respect religious diversity and the celebrations of all cultures. Here are some ways to do so:

• Consider changing the name of your work party from “Christmas party” to “holiday party.” This way no religions are excluded from the celebration.
• Take an interest year-round in celebrating the holidays of various cultures and religions, not just Christianity.
• Consider asking employees how they want to celebrate the holiday season. This way your activities are reflective of the actual wants and desires of your staff.

Practice Healthy Living

Even if you love the holiday season, it can be chaotic, stressful and full of rich food. It’s easy to get out of your routine when your weeks are full of holiday parties and events. However, resist the urge to throw your workout plan out the window. Working out is a great way to rebalance and offset some of the negative side effects of the season. If you’re worried about your waist line expanding, bring fruit to the office instead of cookies and sweet treats.

Hopefully some of these tips will allow you to enjoy the holiday season and keep your sanity intact. Have a happy and stress-free remainder of 2019!

Tahira Hayes is a correspondent-at-large for CU Times. She can be reached at thayes@cutimes.com.