Making Plans for a Happy and Safe Holiday Season

If you live in Vermont, you found out last week that multifamily gatherings were deemed unsafe for now. The medical professionals agree. So what now?! There are traditions, there are people to visit, events to attend. The medical professionals are asking you change your plans, for the safety of yourself and others. Will this change? Can we just wait and see?

The experts say no. Make the plans now! I had the privilege of speaking with Sarah Roberts, Social Worker and Erica Shleif, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, both work at Gifford Medical Center. They have been working steadily to make sure our community has the tools and resources it needs to weather the pandemic. They explained that by not making plans, it is causing undue stress and anxiety. Normally at this time our brains are filling with the sometimes giddy stress of holiday planning. Some people have taken the idea of not planning for the weeks to come, in case numbers drop, or mandates change, or they don’t want to make the wrong choice, or their families may not understand. Make plans. Be ok with the plans you made, they won’t look like last year, but they will be the 2020 holiday season plans, and that is ok.

You can plan to do nothing, but acknowledge that plan. Maybe this holiday season is just too much for you to consider with all the changes. Make the plan to get up and out of bed like any other day and go about your business. Once that plan has been made, the stress of that little piece of unknown can be washed away.

If you make plans in your home, be ok with your plan. Maybe you don’t want to do a virtual visit, that’s ok. Stay in your house, be fancy or in pajamas. Eat a big feast or a pint of ice cream while you watch old movies. Maybe you really want to interact with people. Plan a virtual game night, a mystery game, a coffee date, or even your holiday dinner. Make those plans, put them in your calendar and enjoy planning for it. It may not be what you envisioned this holiday season to be, but it can still be a great time, you can interact with those you love through virtual meetings, phone calls, text, email, even snail mail! Each day we have, holds memories to make.

If you would like to read more on tips and tricks for reducing holiday stress, helping kids cope, and making new traditions, click on the link below. It will bring you to an amazing article from Child Mind Institute.