Oxymoron: Holiday Stress!

I just read (rather, scanned) an article about the stress that December - or better know as "The Holidays" - brings with it. And it dawned on me that I am one of of those people who DO stress out during this period.

It's the time for the annual "life stock" to take place. You think about all those goals you hoped to achieve way back in January. After realizing that you achieved 2 out of 5 goals, instead of celebrating your success, you prefer to dwell on those that have gone past their due date. Once that's out the way, the ever looming issue of holiday season descends upon us.

For those fortunate enough to have family, this time of year is often regarded as sacred family time. For me, Christmas Day involves waking up early in the morning, making our way to the lounge, handing out gifts, opening gifts and then proceeding to breakfast - which always includes Christmas mince pies (love 'em!)

This year, I have very little holiday. In fact, I'm back to work on the 30th. We have only January 1 off and then back to work on the 2nd. While most people detest this, the only word I can think of is "relief". I don't have to worry about the anxiety of New Year's eve. Why is there so much pressure on this one night on the calendar anyway? Is it about where you'll be when the clock strikes 12? OR (perhaps more importantly) who will you be with?

For the past few years, I remember New Years as this: Our family's Jack Russell will start to tremble from the fireworks. Mum will be awake watching TV with me. Countdown begins. We wish each other Happy New Year. And then go to bed.

Gone are the days of sending messages to every single contact on my phone. And gone are the days when my phone would start beeping from 6pm with texts from people I haven't heard from in eons. This year, I want NYE to come and go. Quick and painless.

I do, however, feel like I'm over the whole hype of "Where you gonna be for NYE?" So what? Oh, I have a sneaky suspicion that 'age' is a big factor in this.

I'd have been at work on the 30th and 31st, so what if I decide to go to bed at 21:30?! Will I be labeled as a loser for sleeping while thousands of others usher in the new year? Actually, I could care less.

I've always been a fan of "new" - new books with crispy pages, Mondays (!) a chance to restart, a new month etc... A new year brings with it many great opportunities and hope. Hope that it will be better than the previous year. Faith that everything will work out JUST the way it's meant to. The only task we need to fulfill is to be grateful for the blessings we have up to now. One thing I know for sure is, I have an abundance of blessings and these overflow in my heart!

So...what are YOUR plans for the "silly season"?