MISS OHLALA DELVES INTO THE FESTIVE SEASON AND SHARES SOME TIPS TO KEEP US SANE DURING THIS HECTIC PERIOD.
The holiday season means pretty lights and lots of feel-good movies about the magic of the holiday spirit. But it also means hectic travelling, stressful shopping, and family drama. Every year we manage to survive the holiday season’s odd mixture of warm fuzzy feelings and I-can’t-wait-for-this-to-be-over moments. Between commercialism sapping the meaning out of the joy of giving and the inevitable drama that comes with putting a bunch of people with the same genes in a room together, we could all use a reminder or two about what the holidays are supposed to mean.
Of course, books are a great place to find a few words of wisdom about family, giving, new beginnings, and, yes, even food. And, you know, writers, the keen observers of the world, aren’t just going to let you off the hook with a couple of cheesy clichés.
All the silly, messy, ridiculousness that comes along with the chaotic season of crowded airports, fridges exploding with Tupperware, and coping with your parents’ annual amnesia that you’re not actually 10 years old anymore should really be celebrated.
Okay, so you’re all grown up now, with a big fancy job, your own apartment, and a gym membership or whatever, we get it… and I’m sure your parents get it, too. But it’s the holidays, let loose a little. No one’s gonna judge you for making the leaning tower of pies out of the leftovers. Besides, how often do you get to wear fluffy pyjamas and rip open your presents like the feral child that you once were?
Remember, gift giving is supposed to feel good. Make sure you’re giving the kind of gift that will make you as happy to give it as it will make them to receive it. That’s how you know it’s meaningful.
Gifts are hard, but if you take a second to think about the non-material things that someone might appreciate, a night off from parenting, someone else cleaning the house for once, a whole day of sleeping… you could very well give them the best gift they’ve ever gotten without spending too much.