Chillax, it’s just Christmas
Chillax /tʃɪˈlaks/ : Calm down and Relax
A month (or two!) prior to Christmas, my facebook timeline will be full of people posting things like “I don’t want to alarm you, but it’s xx days to Christmas”. Maybe I’m too Indonesian to understand this, because in my family and friends circle, Christmas day is the day when my mom would drag my sleepy ass to church, we have lunch or dinner in a special restaurant with our closest family (although sometimes it’s just the three of us – me, mom & dad), and then spend the rest of the day in the shopping centres just like any other day off. No opening presents in the morning, no special home-cooked meals, no carolling, no egg nogs (well this maybe because Jakarta is too hot for eggnog!), and we are A-okay with that. Christmas is just another religious holiday in our country.
I lived in Melbourne for 8 years, but months of December were spent in Jakarta because Melbourne would be too hot to function. So back in Melbourne, I didn’t realise how huge Christmas is for people in Australia, until I moved to Canberra and spend a few Christmas here. For me, seeing people getting stressed over christmas is like a man seeing women getting stressed over pimples and cuticles.
I hope you don’t think that I’m a grinch, because I love Christmassy things myself and I love the idea of families getting together for lunch or dinner. I feel that the idea of stressing over christmas is very First-World-Problem-ish, which in 9gag terms means that it is so not important. Trying to finish our work before the end of the year is stressful enough, I hate to add “getting freaked out over christmas” on my list.
Don’t believe that people are actually stressing over christmas? Try googling “don’t stress over christmas” and you will find gazillion posts on how to de-stress on christmas planning. This is by far the most ridiculous one (spoiler alert: the article ends with suggestion that you get help from the doctor, OMG).
Here are some things that you have to remember when you start getting stressed over this holiday that’s supposed to be joyous and stuff:
1. It’s not the only day in the year you can give gifts
There is birthday, valentine’s day, mother’s day, father’s day, just-because-i-love-you days, thinking-about-you days. I actually prefer getting gifts out of the blue, because it means that the other person is really thinking about me when buying it, and not because it’s Christmas.
2. Spend only the amount you’re willing to for gifts.
Christmas gifts are not charity. They are just things to make your loved ones happier than they already are. Will they be sad, hungry, thirsty or poor without your gifts? Nope. Just spend the amount that you’re willing to. If you’ve just had a big spending year; whether it’s because you just bought a new home, set up a business, or retail therapy over your recent heartbreak (hey, you need that!), it is okay to cut back on how much you spend on christmas gifts. You could maybe even try making those gifts yourself. Here are 5 printable christmas gift ideas from me, all you’ll need is just paper and printer. Let your loved ones know that you’re cutting back on gifts this year because of your reasons. I’m sure they will understand!
3. Kids don’t need that many toys
“But Wita, you don’t even have kids!” That’s true, I don’t. But doesn’t mean that I don’t know any kids. I have seen the amount of toys some kids get during christmas, and for some reason those toys just disappear into the thin air as the months go by. Come another Christmas, here comes another ridiculous amount of toys. As a Toy Story fan, I feel a little sad when I see toys get left behind just like that. I always imagine them crying in the darkness because they’ve been put into the toy chest and never been played with again. So sad. Here are some ideas for non-toys kids presents: enrol them into craft/drawing workshops, enrol them into children martial art classes, give them something to make (crafty boxes such as The Makers’ Box here seems like a great idea).
4. Remember, it is just Christmas
Really, it is JUST. CHRISTMAS. You might not believe what I just said at first, but repeat that again over and over again to yourself. You will then realise how ridiculous it is to stress over christmas. There are so many things in your life that you could focus your energy on, and those things might not come too often. While Christmas, in the other hand, comes every year. I hope I don’t sound selfish, but I think that my self is more important than Christmas. I don’t want to get all stressed out, and then sick, and then unable to actually enjoy what I want to do the most, all just because of Christmas.
5. Work for your miracles.
The only miracles that you’re gonna get during christmas are the ones that you’ve been working hard for the whole year. Here’s a great idea: set a “christmas miracle goal” at the beginning of the year, a big goal to reach before the next christmas. Then work towards the goal, and by next christmas, you’ll have your “miracle”! Miracles that come after a long hard work is more fulfilling than those that come out of nowhere.
So do you get stressed over christmas? What makes you stressed and how do you over come that? Sometimes sharing about what stress you out makes you feel a lot better, so please share your experiences in the comment. Have a stress-free Christmas!
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