Have Fun this Holiday Season

Maybe you’re not flying to see your family, celebrating the holidays with the people you otherwise would, or taking that big vacation. This year’s holidays will look different from other years, but they can still be fun. Below are some simple and free ways to have fun this holiday season, whether you’re working or off.  

Do things five-year-old’s think are fun. They’re fun for adults too.

• Is your city’s Zoo lit up for the holidays? Bring hot chocolate and go. Ride the train and the carousel if they have one, yes, even without kids.
• Are your city’s botanic gardens or other gardens lit up?
• Is your downtown lit up?
• Are there drive-through light shows?
• Drive or walk and see your neighbor’s lights.
• Decorate cookies and gingerbread houses. Seriously, it’s fun! If you email me, I’ll send you photos of our masterpieces. If you have kids, give up what the gingerbread house is ‘supposed to look like’ and let the kids do their thing (this is challenging for me).

Moving on to day-to-day happiness, when is the last time you did things you enjoy? Keep it simple and cheap. Here are a few from my life:

• Listen to music
• Go out for ice cream
• Ride my bike
• Go to the mountains or some other beautiful spot
• Read a book

Call people you haven’t talked to in a while. Yes, call. Texting isn’t the same.

• Past coworkers
• Friends from high school, college, and graduate school
• Cousins and siblings
• Neighbors
• Out-of-town friends
• Local friends

If you’re working over the holidays, below are a few ways to take care of yourself during the workday:

• Walk around your neighborhood or house for a short break
• Listen to music
• Eat breakfast or lunch instead of skipping a meal
• Text a friend when you have down time
• Walk outside to take a break
• Five minutes of yoga

Lastly, what’s a bad habit you can stop doing, for one day. Don’t over commit. Mine are below:

• Surfing Facebook and the internet at night
• Eating whatever my kid doesn’t finish
• Eating the remaining Halloween candy when my kid isn’t looking
• Texting when I should be working or sleeping
• Checking my phone (way more than necessary)

There are lots of ways to have fun this holiday season – from seeing lights, to reconnecting with old friends, to taking care of ourselves and stopping a bad habit, just for one day.

We wish you and your family a warm wrap-up to 2020 and a very different 2021. Happy Holidays from all of us at Candid Culture.

Do I Tell Them I Didn’t Like the Gift? Gift Etiquette Advice

“You shouldn’t have. No really, I mean it.”

It’s the season of gift giving, and you’re bound to get something you don’t like or won’t use. The question is, what to do with gifts you don’t want? What is the proper gift etiquette?

Do you tell your friends and family, and graciously exchange the gift for something else. Or do you suck it up and use it? Or do you hide the gift, bringing it out when the gift giver visits? Or do you re-gift to someone who might enjoy it more, or someone you simply don’t like? It’s good to have so many options.

In my family, my parents ask what I want and then tell me that no, they are not buying me that. Then they buy me whatever they want to. When I don’t like it, they tell me I’m hard to buy for. I’m assuming your family is less crazy.

In your perfect world perhaps your friends and family ask you want you want (ala Santa) and get you what you want. In my perfect world you make agreements when giving gifts that it’s ok (or not ok) to exchange the gift for something else. Either way is ok, but set the expectation in advance so you don’t insult anyone or hurt his feelings.

If you read my blog regularly or read my book, you know I’m all about setting expectations before challenges occur. It’s so much easier to ask for what you want than correct a violated expectation.

Gift Etiquette Advice:

Telling your mom, “Thank you in advance for whatever you buy me for the holiday. You really don’t have to get me anything. But if you do, and I don’t like it, how do you want me to handle it?” is a nice way to prevent hurting your mom’s feelings.

Or having a discussion as a family that sounds something like, “Let’s make a deal. We want everyone to enjoy the gifts they get. If anyone gets something they don’t like, they have permission to tell the person and ask to exchange it. No hurt feelings.”

You know your family better than anyone. If admitting you don’t like a gift will be insulting or land you on the receive-no-gift for life list, hold your tongue and re-gift, or wear the reindeer sweater. Pick your battles. And if you can return gifts on the sly, without having to tell anyone, all the better.

Either way, enjoy your time with family and friends. Eat too much food. Watch bad tv. And have a wonderful holiday!  I’ll look forward to seeing you in 2013.