A Mindful Holiday Series | Introduction by Gwendolyn Smith

The holiday season is here. At the beginning of October, I always like to take a moment and look at the three months that stretch ahead of me. I realize they will fly by faster than the nine months behind me, even though those certainly were not ever slow. For a long time that was my favorite moment of the entire holiday season. The anticipation of something big being far more exciting than the actual event. Why do you ask? Nothing and nobody had yet brought disappointment, or hurt, or proven my expectations were perhaps out of alignment with reality. I hadn’t yet had to deal with my broken heart as memories of a lost loved one floated back up, triggered by family traditions. I hadn’t yet had to figure out how to handle the painful conversations when family members asked the “when are you having a baby?” questions at the Thanksgiving table. I hadn’t yet had to watch people open gifts that I had put a lot of time and thought into and barely show interest them. Are you horrified? I was too when I realized why this early October anticipation was always more enjoyable than the holidays themselves.

As someone who has struggled with anxiety most of my life, I’m learning to lean into the everyday moment. I’m learning to be present in the daily and stop looking to the horizon as a way to cope with the low (or high) grade anxiety that creeps up in me so often. Over the years, I have been known to say, more than once, how I just need to “survive” the holidays. I found structure in to-do lists and distraction in holidays tasks, so often more focused on getting the holiday “tasks” done than embracing the moment. As I learn healthier ways to manage my anxiety I have embraced a quote by Jim Elliot as a bit of a mantra.

“Wherever you are, be all there!”

— Jim Elliot

It finally hit me a a couple of years back that I was struggling and that the holidays were triggering things I needed to work through. I was looking at my “picture perfect” Christmas tree that was decorated just right. Everyone’s presents were already purchased and perfectly wrapped and arranged underneath. I had done all the “things” … cookies had even been baked already, so now what? It was December 15 and I had no way to hide from my anxiety the next ten days. Perhaps you can relate. If not, perhaps this helps you understand a friend or family member who may struggle with the same. Take heart, people can change. With help from a professional counselor I am now equipped with much healthier ways to cope with the daily struggles than burying myself in holiday tasks.

So what does this all have to do with the holidays? They are here! And with all of the hope and joy that comes with gathering together and celebrating, they are also a time that can be so very difficult. This season I seek to offer abundant hope. Most of the year, this is a food blog that is centered on kitchen essentials and healthy, stress-free cooking. We focus on turning our kitchens into safe havens, living out The Kitchen Manifesto. When the holidays roll around we often find ourselves in the kitchen more than ever, cooking for larger groups of people and to preparing much more difficult than usual recipes. So during the holidays, why not take an extra measure of mindfulness and reflection so we can enter this busy season with intentional grace and kindness. Let us be fully present at the holiday table.

This year I’m inviting eight of my hope*writer colleagues to join me at the Hearthside holiday table. They will be sharing stories and ideas of how to mindfully embrace the holiday season. Over the next two months I'm sharing guest posts that will challenge you to be fully present this holiday season.

I hope you will join us for a reflection on how to thrive through the holidays. Enough with “surviving” them, let us do better. Let us reflect, reaffirm, and rejoice throughout the next two months. No matter how busy the holidays will be this year, no matter how much the last year has changed us, let’s take time to slow down. Because peace on Earth and goodwill towards men is worth slowing down for year after year.