Coping With The Holidays Checklist
Beside each activity, think about what you would traditionally do and write it down. Then think about you want to do this year instead, and write it down. Share this with your family or have them do one of their own, compare notes, and then come up with a plan ahead of time to avoid putting any unnecessary stress on yourself.
Thanksgiving
Celebrate Thanksgiving at home
Eat out at a nice restaurant or someone else’s home
Be alone this year
Christmas Cards
Mail as usual
Shorten your list
Include a Christmas letter
Elect to skip this year
Decorations
Decorate as usual
Modify your decorations
Ask for help
Let others do it
Make changes, such as an artificial tree instead of a real one
Have a special decoration for your loved one
Eliminate the tree or other decorations
Shopping
Shop as usual
Give cash or gift certificates
Shop through catalogs or online
Ask for help
Shop early
Make your gifts
Give baked goods
Shop with a friend
Ask for help wrapping gifts
Do not exchange gifts now but perhaps later
Christmas Music
Enjoy as usual
Avoid turning the radio on
Listen to classical, relaxing music instead
Shop early before stores have Christmas music on
Listen to the Christmas music, have a good cry, and allow yourself to feel sad
Traditions
Keep the old traditions
Attend holiday parties
Go to a different place-somewhere you’ve been meaning to visit but never got around to
Bake the usual holiday foods
Bake but modify what you would usually do
Go to a religious service
Attend a religious service but at an entirely different time
Attend a totally different church
Spend quiet time alone
Visit the cemetery
Christmas Dinner
Prepare as usual
Go out to dinner, someplace extra nice!
Invite friends over
Eat alone
Change time of dinner
Change routine of dinner, for example, this year do a buffet or ask everyone to bring their favorite dish
Change location of dinner
Ask for help
Post Christmas and New Year’s Day
Spend as usual
Go out of town
Avoid New Year’s parties
Attend a New Year’s party
Write a journal with your hopes for the New Year
Go to a movie (or two, or three!)
Take a nice long bubble bath and go to bed early
Coping With Holiday Grief
Healing Grief Rituals
