A Different Kind of Countdown

The December 2007 issue of Better Homes and Gardens has an article entitled “Healthy You: Countdown to Christmas.” Each day as we count down to Christmas, I’m going to follow their advice and see how that works in terms of finding simple enjoyment and sanity during this season—as well as minimize holiday-induced stress.



Behind each door of my advent calendar is a slip of paper I’ve made bearing each day’s healthy mandate from the magazine article.

Today’s task is to start a tradition. Slowing down Christmas is going to be our new tradition.



December is a hectic month and activities get thrown onto our schedule willy-nilly. We end up exhausted and wondering where the month went.

There was a program on National Public Radio (NPR) yesterday that discussed holiday stress and how to handle it. I learned that we have to make time to decompress as opposed to trying to find time—as that won’t ever happen.


Calendar template purchased from The Vintage Workshop.

This morning my husband and I are reviewing our December calendar as it stands right now. We will consider the invitations and event notices currently residing in an untidy heap on the kitchen counter and let go those things that aren’t necessary in order to make time to slow down and savor the season.

Making mindful decisions each Dec. 1 is a new tradition we believe will help us achieve a healthier balance in the wildness that has become Christmas time.