Ditch THE HOLIDAY MERRY-GO-ROUND
Ditch The holiday merry-go-round 
Home from one of several writers’ conferences we attend annually, I called a friend and shared tales of several New York Best-Selling authors we met at the Oklahoma Writers Federation. With a holiday quickly approaching, I invited her to celebrate Mother’s Day with us. She bemoaned the fact that Christmas would be here shortly.
Her comment raced through my mind. Yes. There are national holidays almost every month. Many of them suggest cards be sent, gifts be purchased, or special meals be served. We celebrate New Year’s, Valentines, Martin Luther King, spring, Easter, Summer, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Halloween, Veterans’ Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Hanukkah—just to mention a few. No wonder we are always looking for another celebration.
As a woman with a husband, children, and a writing career, I recognized the power I gave to holidays. Family traditions held high expectations. With increased birthdays, I experienced time passing at warp-speed. But, surely I had some control.
Last November Bill and I took the trip of a lifetime. We traveled to Europe and experienced an eight-day river cruise. We were pampered by the staff. We toured historic cities and developed new friends.
But I’ve run the holiday merry-go-round since our return. Barely remembering our Thanksgiving weekend, I charged into Christmas shopping, marriage vow celebration invitations, and preparation for surgery. We staggered writing conferences amid forecasted healing time from surgeries, writing conferences, and visiting relatives.
This week, Bill and I reviewed our commitments for May to September. More conferences, book signing events, and bang—Halloween would be upon us. OMG. It could drive one crazy.
The good news—we’ve chosen full lives. We surround ourselves with special people, places, and events. We modified our family traditions. Best of all, we took control of our destiny.
Review your holiday commitments. Are you involved in events you hate? Can you make some changes? Our time on earth is too short to waste. Take charge. Your life is a gift—unwrap it with joy and excitement.
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Pam, I totally understand about river cruises and the laid-back pace. One thing I found was that, on our European river cruise, the trip was about the destination … the tours, the history and culture of the places we visited. Yet when I went on a river barge cruise some years ago with my mom around New Orleans, the trip was more about the peace and the relaxation. I loved it and got very spoiled. Unfortunately, the River Barge company no longer plies the Mississippi River but I did hear that Viking Cruises will be coming soon. I hope they will have the local jazz entertainment. It was fabulous, especially along the intracoastal waterway of the Gulf.
AND I hope they will have various holiday cruises so I can cut and run during some of those boring get-togethers!!!
Thanks for your comment. We are now on the receiving end of proposed trips. It was a beautiful experience, but not necessarily restful. It is great to hear there is an alternative closer to home. Bill and I are both authors and we love quiet time to write. Have a blessed day.
Pam
Down with the holidays–unless you really like them.
John, we all love holidays. The difference is the level of coordination required. Men love good eating, great presents, and free time. Wives do to. But we do not always get it. I still remember a cartoon in the Sunday paper with the wife sagging in a hair and the husband saying, “Happy Mother’s Day, Honey.”