Here we are, right in the throes of the American holiday season. The tame and restful (well for most, except those who did the cooking…) Thanksgiving Day feast is behind us and the frenzied, over indulgent Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanza pre-season is here! For most of us that means overcommitting ourselves, consuming throngs of sugary treats or alcoholic beverages, shopping in stores with way too many people, excessive stress trying to make it the perfect holiday and lots of sleep deprivation.

Lack of adequate, continuous sleep can severely impair your health and your quality of life. Sleep deprivation makes us irritable, foggy-headed, moody, decreases alertness, slows reaction time and increases our risk for diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s & cancer. Driving while tired is just as dangerous as driving while under the influence. Devastating accidents such as the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the Staten Island Ferry crash, The Challenger explosion, the Chernobly & the Three-Mile Island nuclear meltdowns all involved human error due to sleep deprivation.

And I have spent too many Christmas Days exhausted, bleary eyed and very cranky. So many years ago I simplified my holiday preparation and now I thoroughly enjoy myself. Here is how I changed from a stressed, sleep deprived state to holiday bliss.

  1. I leave the decorating to the kids and my husband. They love decorating the tree and house. I love that I don’t have to be involved.
  2. I simplified gift giving. I use a spreadsheet to keep track what gifts I will be giving and a budget. I include everything like hostess gifts, gifts for teachers, bus drivers, tips, etc. I start working on the spreadsheet before Thanksgiving so that I am left with no surprises or last minute dashing to stores just bursting at the seams with people…(there is still plenty of time to organize yourself this year!)
  3. I order about 90% of gifts online. I have a personal rule that I avoid any and all stores between Thanksgiving and December 24th.
  4. Unless I have an exceptional gift idea, I generally give others indulgent items that don’t require a whole lot of thought to pick out. Things that taste fabulous or a splurge item that the person would not normally buy for themselves. Depending on your gift list you might be able to knock off half your list with the same item!
  5. Give the gift of an event or spend the day with someone. Let’s face it, by April even the kids have usually forgotten what gifts they received for the holidays. My cousin’s daughter would get so much stuff at Christmas that I eventually gave her a day with me in NYC as a gift each year.
  6. I have most of the gifts in hand 2-3 weeks before the big day. And I wrap all the gifts in small batches, an hour here, two hours there, etc. This eliminates the 3:00 am wrapping session that ruins your good intentions with exhaustion and cranky moods.
  7. I attend one or two parties and that is it! Everyone wants to have a party during the holidays and many times those invited are asked to bring something (dish to pass, beverage of choice and gift to pass… So much work to go to a party!). So I attend one or two and politely decline the others.
  8. If I am going to host I start planning early, like a month in advance! Another hosting tip, purchase as much outside catering as you can afford! If you do not have the time or energy to host, say so. You are not obligated to do something because other people want you to. You deserve to enjoy your holidays too!
  9. I don’t let the holidays take over my life. I make sure to eat real unprocessed foods, get adequate body movement and continue my daily mediation practice.

With all of this pre-planning and boundary setting I give myself the gift of adequate sleep during the holiday season. And on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day I am sure to thoroughly enjoy my family and friends and better yet, they enjoy being around me too!

Check out these 33 healthy sleep guidelines!

Be well and love the earth,
Grace