The holiday season is in full swing and many people are buckling under the pressure.

Too many invites. Too much shopping. Too much baking. Too much of everything.

It doesn’t have to be this way, and quite honestly, it shouldn’t be. At all.

I encourage you to choose differently this year.

Choose not to spend money you don’t have, even if that means small gifts, homemade gifts, or the gift of time.

Choose one special gathering rather than many exhausting ones.

Choose a simple meal with your favorite foods rather than an extravagant meal that takes all day to prepare.

Choose a walk or drive through a neighborhood rather than battling the crowds at your local “festival of lights.”

Choose to watch holiday movies under the blankets instead of driving in circles looking for parking spots at the mall.

Choose family and friends and gratitude and laughter.

Reject commitments and spending and busyness and stress.

If you have traditions that no longer make the season joyful, consider ending them and creating new ones.

Load up the car with things you no longer use and make this season a time of letting go, lightening up and winding down.

Make your shopping list shorter and your conversations longer. Make your laughter louder and the commercials quieter.

Focus on presence, not presents. It changes everything.

It’s ok to do things a little differently.

Choose different.

Choose peaceful.

And have a wonderful, relaxing holiday season.

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