Holiday Blues

I hope everyone is staying warm while you prepare for Christmas festivities. I know that it is a busy time of year. However, I understand that it is an emotional time of year as well. Before I say anything else, you must understand that I am basically a Christmas elf because of the love I have for Christmas time and nothing will ever change that. BUT...the merry little holiday does have its downsides. Holidays in general have a special way of bringing up all kinds of emotions. Unfortunately, that includes those that we try our best to bury down deep in our souls because they are too painful to deal with on a daily basis.  My parents made Christmas a dream for me growing up. They took extreme (and now hilarious) measures to ensure my sister and I believed in Santa for as long as possible. Everything was happy. We had baking days where we stayed in our PJ's, watched Hallmark movies, and covered every cracker, nut, cookie, and pastry in chocolate and sprinkles. We always tracked Santa to see how close he was to our house on Christmas Eve using https://santatracker.google.com/. And we always woke up and had to wait in our rooms until told it was safe to go in the family room where Santa had made an ashy mess coming down the chimney, left a note from the North Pole, and of course presents!  But when we lost my dad in 2012, Christmas Day and all other holidays made those sweet precious memories hurt when they surfaced. It was a few years before I could embrace new traditions and the new “normal.” Now, I focus on the happiness and not the sadness. Of course, those feelings are still there. Now I try to remind myself not to cry, but to smile. I am so thankful for my memories and that I have them to cherish forever. I am also thankful for the present and all the future memories I can make.  It is okay to be emotional and be honest with yourself. You have to. But it is important that you find happiness. Whatever negative is bringing your spirit down, identify it and find a way to make peace. Do something for yourself. Maybe say no to a few things to avoid stress. Maybe take a personal day to do nothing but rest. Or maybe just talk about it. Venting always helps and your Pilates class members will be there to listen as we move! 

-Jennie