Holiday Season

Week Forty-Eight in the No Longer New Abnormal

Mixed emotions can easily create a holiday weekend potpourri between the pressures of Thanksgiving and the demands of Black Friday. Though expectations run high for a very Happy Thanksgiving and great savings on Black Friday, the truth is less grand and perhaps a bit messy. I had the good fortune of enjoying a small Thanksgiving with a table of four at a local restaurant. I was too tired to cook. Being served was a small pleasure for which I was completely thankful. And sharing a meal with loved ones was a gift in and of itself. That’s not to say that I don’t miss the larger family, but I was happy to do less. Then came Black Friday. My inbox, even before I woke up, was stuffed with advertisements for gifts, necessities, personal items and everything in-between. I was flummoxed. I felt pulled in every direction. Do I take advantage of a daybed sale? Or do I pick up small items for little gifts for those I appreciate and encounter in service jobs? I was easily frazzled. I spent much too much time online digging through the myriad of possibilities. I felt stuck in a capitalistic loop of my own making.

What is it about the big savings? I don’t have to think hard about that. My father was the culprit. There wasn’t a sale he didn’t like. We would drive around to Korvettes, Two Guys, Grants, and other low-priced stores. His favorite savings places were liquidation warehouses. We were able to get things we didn’t need, the sale itself being the real gift. Often we were the recipients of things we didn’t want. But who could argue with the joy of my father’s tale of savings? While he did teach me about being an informed consumer, I fight the urge to buy things I don’t need simply because it’s now 70% off. For me Black Friday is less retail therapy than wholesale anxiety. Tomorrow is Cyber Monday. I hope I can maintain a sense of calm. And then it’s giving Tuesday, which always feels like I’m leaving an important non-profit out to dry as I choose my usual suspects for donations.

The desire to be able to give and receive seems endless. The messaging appears to say, I must be grateful even when it’s a gift I don’t want. I must be generous even when it’s out of my price range. I must take advantage of a small window of discount opportunity. I must be social, even when I’m exhausted and need to rest. Too many “musts.” It a challenge to feel as if we’re enough. And when we don’t feel as if we’re enough because we’re feeling vulnerable, the “musts” can feel crushing. Perhaps we can lighten up, if possible. Maybe we can reach out to let others know they matter. Maybe we can do something kind for ourselves to let us know we matter. And,maybe we can slow down so that the pressures of the season don’t push us down.

Wishing you a healthy and peaceful season.

Self-Care Tips:

· When buying gifts, or getting a bargain, put it in your cart, and let it sit there for a while before making the final purchase. This way you can see if you really want it rather than making an impulse acquisition.

· Repeat the affirmation, “I am enough.” That may be enough to confront all the messaging that suggests otherwise.

· Give in small ways on Giving Tuesday and any other day. Perhaps you can even find a new place to donate.