So, how do I plan to get through the season with a smile on my face, kindness spewing from my lips, and an overall sense of peace in my house? First, I am throwing out the expectation that I will actually achieve the aforementioned holiday goal.  Instead, I am setting out each day with a deep breath and a few things I would like to do over the course of December to show love, peace and joy.  I have made a list, but it feels different than before.  Perhaps it’s because it is full of intention rather than obligation.  What is the difference?  Let me give you an example.  I used to always make homemade cinnamon rolls on Christmas Eve.  I love to make them when there is the space and time to do it.  A few years ago, I wasn’t able to make them.  I was so upset about running out of time and somewhere in the recesses of my brain I actually thought Christmas would be ruined without homemade cinnamon rolls. Instead, my hubby bought canned, refrigerated cinnamon rolls and he made them Christmas morning.  And you know what?  Christmas was fantastic and my girls LOVED having their dad make breakfast.  It has now become a new tradition in our house, during certain holidays, for him to make cinnamon rolls and he is kind of proud of it.  If you had asked me what I thought about this idea five years ago I would have told you, “we are not having Christmas breakfast out of a can!”  What I have learned though is that it’s not out of a can, it’s out of love.

It’s all about intention and perspective.

Another example is the annual Christmas card.  This has always been an anxiety filled chore on my holiday list.  Trying to get the perfect photo of our family has always seemed just out of reach and yet everyone else seemed to have mastered this task.  Last year, I took a pass.  My hubby is still worked up about it, but I have moved on.  Granted it took until Valentine’s day to get over my holiday fail, but I survived. I admit I have made a card this year, but it’s not out of frantic obligation; instead it’s about sharing our year in photos.  Now, it was a little painful to find a photo of the five of us together without any extras, but I did it and I laughed a lot during the process.

Again…intention and perspective.

This holiday season make your list, buy your gifts, send your cards, and plan your meals, but do it with intention and if that means you are spooning it out of a can, then by all means go load up on some cans!