Re-Entering Daily Life after Thanksgiving - Charlaine Martin

Photo by David Lezcano on Unsplash.

I don’t know about you, but re-entering daily life after going away for Thanksgiving is a bear! We decided to run away for a week, which explains not seeing regular posts, just because we needed a break at our house. We both work from home, so work sort of takes over home no matter what we do. Sunny and warm weather appealed to our sense of wellbeing since getting together with family during COVID restrictions was pretty much a no-go. With our bags packed and camper in tow, we traveled to the Sunshine State. Florida did not disappoint us!

During our time away, we watched a movie in which the characters decided to try Turdunkin’. Supposedly, they dipped a turkey in Dunkin donut batter and deep-fried it. Yuck, how awful! So, on our way home, I decided to look it up to find out if there was such a thing. There is—sort of. It is Turducken. Follow the link to look it up. It doesn’t sound good, either, but better than donut-batter-dipped turkey. We waited until we were home to have our turkey for the season. Simply roasted turkey breast. Mmmm, good!

Getting Back to the Grind

Whether you go away or do a stay-cay, getting back to the daily grind feels like running your fingernails down the proverbial chalkboard. We found that life continues around us, and it doesn’t wait for anyone. Not only that, but we will have another break for Christmas and New Years’. It’s hard to keep momentum knowing we will stop yet again. The best way to keep from falling behind is to stay focused on specific priorities, so we keep our sanity. Here are a few ways we deal with it to keep from wanting to run away again:

1. Take a look at your To-Do lists or create one. For the next several days before your Christmas break, consider what you need to accomplish between now and Christmas break. Have a section for each– work, home, and Christmas Holiday. If you have them sorted, it will help you be more productive as you whittle away at your list.
2. Set your end-date for projects with a realistic view of what you can accomplish. This point goes along with #1, but you need a goal-date to wrap up certain projects on your lists. Then consider how you can get it accomplished over the number of days you have until Christmas break.
3. Set yourself up for success with your goals. Set your exercise and healthy eating back on track. Only keep low-calorie, healthy food options in your home, and workspace. Designate specific days and times for your workouts, then DO IT!
4. Avoid snacking on holiday food fare by getting it out of your space. Snacking and nibbling get most people in trouble between Thanksgiving and January 1^st. This list item goes along with setting yourself up for success. If you don’t have these goodies around, you won’t be tempted to eat them.
5. Simplify your Christmas expectations. The Pandemic is really pressing us to reconsider how we celebrate holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. This reality means whatever your mom, aunt, or grandma used to do for family gatherings probably won’t work this year. This what YOU and you and your family can do with the restrictions set by your state and local authorities. Keep your decorations, food, and gifts simple so everyone can enjoy the celebration of Jesus’ birthday.
6. Remember, Christmas isn’t about the stuff, but about Jesus. Jesus doesn’t need nor want all of the fanfare, so why do we knock ourselves out with so much stuff? Give Jesus the priority on the expectations, not everyone else. Keep pointing your friends and family to Him as you set healthy, reasonable boundaries on your time and energy when it comes to the Christmas season.

We can keep the Giving Thanks focus for the rest of our holiday season as well.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.” 1 Chronicles 16:34 NIV

No matter what we face for the rest of 2020, we can indeed give thanks to God because He always loves us. May God bless you!

For Discussion: What is causing you to freeze in fear or dread between now and Christmas break? What steps can you take to focus on priorities and let the small stuff slide?