On our ADDer World ADHD Social Network, I recently re-posted my first Holiday / Christmas message from 2 years ago first posted on this blog, where I started my crusade. It’s hard to believe I have been writing this blog for nearly 3 years! WoW how time flies. With close to 400 blog posts in that time, you may think that I would eventually get tired of writing so much, but no, actually, I have also put together 3 books and 3 free E-books, well, let’s be fair, “The Brilliant Reality of ADHD” is mostly a collection of posts from this blog, so if you would like a souvenir, or want to support my writing or need a great gift idea, there you have it! This leads me to (I enjoy being led from time to time)…
To a recent emailer asking me for tips and suggestions for dealing with the Holiday / Christmas season, I don’t really have that many (5 to be exact). For someone like me with ADHD you would think the Holiday season would be dreadful trying to keep up with presents and sending out cards, but guess what: I don’t really do those things.
The holidays, for me, are a time to enjoy what is going on, to look at the bright, colorful lights and simply take them in. I love this time of year and all the wonderful things being created around me. However, I do not send presents or cards to anyone, at most I send an email or text messages to family and close friends. I do not think of the Holidays as a time of year when I must suddenly purchase things for everyone in my family or my closest friends. To be absolutely honest, if I tried it would be miserable and I do not want to spoil the holidays over such things. I have also made it clear over the years that I do not expect such things delivered to me either. I would prefer family and friends spend that time and money on living the moments the holidays give us and may never come again!
There are many online posts about tips for the Holidays and Christmas for ADDers such as myself, but I do not read them, or if I do, I do not follow them. Thanks for the wonderful intentions, but, alas, no thanks. If there’s one way to truly ruin my mood during the Holidays it is to try to be perfect, to try to meet expectations of sending this and that to this person or that person, it’s just too much and this is something I proudly gave up on – okay, well, I never really started. Now, on the other hand, anyone in my home on Christmas day will receive a gift and if your name is Joan (my wife), well, she receives many; our Christmas tree is seemingly bursting with colorful wrapped boxes to each other!
So, to answer the email request, my tips and suggestions are as follows:
- Don’t miss the holidays trying to meet unattainable expectations of self!
- Keep everything as simple as possible.
- Enjoy all that is going on around you, take in the lights, the colors, the carolers and oh, how nice are those Christmas window displays this time of year?! They do tend to shine brightly! Oh… shiny!
- Say “I love you!” a lot!
- (((((Hugs))))) for EVERYONE!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
XOXO
~Bryan
