Buying more time
Posted by Vicki Moulton on December 1, 2009
Wouldn’t it be great if Thanksgiving weekend, the traditional start of the mad holiday rush, happened about one week earlier? Then you’d have 7 extra days to get organized before all hell breaks loose at the end of December.
You could write your holiday letter, post updated family photos to your Facebook wall, answer all those emails that have been piling up since September, add some resolutions to your New Year’s wishlist, maybe finish that book you got for Christmas last year. Imagine getting all of that done before the insane holiday sale season began on Black Friday, so you wouldn’t have to spend one moment of that extra week focusing on shopping or getting incredible deals on stuff that will sit around in other people’s houses collecting dust.
Do I sound cranky today? Yeah, well, I probably am. As much as I love the celebrations that happen this time of year–all the lights, music, parties, dancing, drinking, crackling fires–I tend to feel overwhelmed by the pressure to get so much done in so little time. I especially dislike those braggarts (you know who you are) who never miss an opportunity to tell you how much time and money they saved by finishing their holiday shopping back in August. Or the amazingly wealthy people who can pay someone else to do all their shopping. Better yet, the better-than-you philanthropists who eschew gift-giving by donating money to worthy causes in your name. (Would it have killed you to ask whether I would have preferred an actual gift?)
December has arrived, and as usual I am not as organized as I would like to be. But this year I think I’ll try something different. This year I’m cutting things out of my to-do list to buy more time for the really important stuff, like being completely present–as in available, awake, aware–for my family. For example, I’m not going to mail out holiday cards this year. It’s a waste of paper, and I can save time and money by emailing everyone instead. More cuts this year: unnecessary schmoozing at holiday-themed business ”parties” that are less than fun and real time-wasters, shopping for stocking-stuffers (once you’re past age 10, who cares?), and having people over because it’s “that time of year” and one is expected to play hostess.
I will spend my holidays being with people I care about, doing things and attending events that are meaningful, and laughing as much as possible. It’s my time, and I resolve to make the most of it.
