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By Scott Mims | Community Columnist

I typically hear a lot of complaints from people once the holiday season begins. It usually starts with something like, “I can’t believe such-and-such store already has Christmas decorations out!” Or, “I can’t turn on the radio without hearing Christmas music!” Or the dreaded, “I can’t wait for the holidays to be over!”

Now that Halloween 2024 is history and November has arrived, everyone’s attention naturally drifts toward this year’s plans for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s, scheduling get-togethers with family members, budgeting for the purchasing of gifts and perhaps even changes one plans to make beginning with the stroke of midnight on Jan. 1.
Back to the complaints — I try to respond to a complaint every now and again. Usually I will ask something like, “What do you not like about the holidays?” And they will say, “Everything is too commercialized now.” And I agree with them on this point — the retail world, media outlets and society as a whole has turned every major holiday (and even some of the minor ones) into a frenzy of commercialism.
My knee-jerk reaction is to give them a simple answer — if you don’t like Christmas music, don’t tune to the stations that play it. If you don’t want to be bothered by retail promotions or crowds, do your shopping online or simply make your list, stick to it and do your best to ignore it. If you don’t want your kids to buy into the whole Santa Claus thing, that’s OK too — just focus on your core beliefs and teach your kids what you truly value to pass down to them.
Of course, those things are easier said than done. Then there’s the other end of the spectrum — those who love to listen to Christmas music year-round, those who enjoy the atmosphere of the stores as their mood builds up for those special days and those who do their shopping six months early (I find myself in the middle of most of these, but I tend to do last-minute shopping because I’m a procrastinator, and I like the thrill).

I believe our challenge with the holidays is to not allow our schedules to dominate our lives. For Thanksgiving, be thankful each day for the people, health, resources and the things that you have. Studies have shown that gratitude can reduce stress. For Christmas, focus on what you can do to make a positive difference in someone else’s life. For New Year’s, don’t think that you have to wait until Jan. 1 to start making healthy decisions, and don’t beat yourself up if you happen to fail on Jan. 2.