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Make a Holiday List, and Shorten It Twice

We share tips for shrinking your holiday list down to the things that really matter to you, so you can have real downtime and be present with your loved ones.

We’re in the midst of the holiday season, and our topic is Make a Holiday List, and Shorten It Twice. By paring your list down to the things that are most important to you and letting go of the rest, you’ll feel calmer and have more quality time with your loved ones.

We recommend asking yourself these questions: 

  1. What kind of holiday experience do I want to have? How do I want to feel and show up?
  2. What’s on my “must-have/ must-do” list? (“It wouldn’t feel like the holidays if …”)
  3. Is there a more fun / easier / alternative way I can do some of these items?
  4. What can I let go of this year? 

If it pains you too much to cross items off your full list, you can sort them into categories of “Can Do” / “Want to Do” / and “Could Do.”. But when you finish your Can Do list, recognize that you’re done. Feel the sense of accomplishment in completing what mattered most to you. The other lists are just gravy!

Another way to approach this is starting with a blank page and sorting your priorities from the beginning. 

However you simplify your holiday list, ask yourself if each item will help you have the kind of holiday experience you want for you and your loved ones.

We also recommend listening or re-listening to Ep. 46, All Vibes Welcome for the Holidays, which we released in December 2020. We were still in the midst of the pre-vaccination pandemic, and many families – including ours – weren’t convening as usual. Listening to this episode again made me so grateful that we have made so much progress, and many of us will be seeing loved ones this year. 

We shared three ways to give yourself grace and space during the holidays, which are still very much applicable now: 

  1. Accept what we can’t do this year and look for what we can do.
  2. Embrace an “all vibes welcome” mindset.
  3. Transform your “To Do List” into a “Want to Do” List — and make that a tradition!

Get In Touch

What’s left on your holiday list after you shorten it twice? What becomes possible when you pare down to the essentials? Email us at podcast[at]semitogether.com or send us a voice memo.

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