A holiday grab bag for you
Everyone experiences the end of December holidays differently. Your experience depends on how and where you work, where you live, what your relationship is with family and extended family, whether you travel or not, whether you have time off work, or have to work just as much or more than normal. That being said, many many people will have a little time off work or time out of their regular routines. I’ve been thinking of a few ways to help us use that time to recharge instead of continue a cycle of burnout.
I know some of us have the privilege of traveling to visit family during “vacation” and sometimes we need a break in the midst of family chaos, too. Here’s some possible prescriptions for your holiday with a few of my favorite quotes about creative energy sprinkled in for extra support.
Get a pack of colored pencils, a stack of paper, sit down at a communal table and start drawing. You’d be amazed at how many people will flock to join you for some gentle quiet time. The energy in a buzzing holiday home is overstimulating for many people, and given the chance a lot of adults and children will want a little space to recharge.
Draw your grandmother’s hands or the tree outside your parents house.
My favorite quote from the 2000 movie, Billy Elliot1:
"Sorta feels good. Sorta stiff and that, but once I get going... then I like, forget everything. And... sorta disappear. Sorta disappear. Like I feel a change in my whole body. And I've got this fire in my body. I'm just there. Flyin' like a bird. Like electricity. Yeah, like electricity."
Maybe you have felt this electricity before? Try to grab it by the tail.
My dad used to draw a big big scribble on the page and I would color in the in-between parts. You don’t need much skill to enjoy pencil and paper. (See photo at top!)
If your family has any traditions of playing music together, do that! I have no musical talents or skills, but a cousin and his son play string instruments and sing together and it’s a special moment for everyone in attendance.
Hide out in bed for an extra 20 minutes in the morning, just typing whatever comes up into the notes app on your phone.
Take your most ideal vision of what the holidays could be, pick one little aspect and make it happen. Bake cookies together, make a meal, or do a family project. Let go of trying to do ALL the “ideal family hang out activities.”
Sitting still and drinking tea are absolutely radical acts in our modern society.
“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open.”2
-Martha Graham
Repeat this phrase to yourself “it is not your business to determine how good it is.”
Bring the kids into some stillness with you. Try to get an “I’m so bored” out of them.
Go for a solo or group walk using a prompt from The Art of Noticing.
Sit in the bathtub for a little bit.
Ask your family members take the kids outside for a whole hour without you.
Ask for help with any bit of work that’s normally expected of you at the holidays, especially invisible labor.
Take a little time to fill up, so you aren’t starting next year on empty.
You can watch Billy Elliot right now with a paid Hulu subscription
Read the entire context of this Martha Graham quote at The Marginalian