There’s a special kind of panic that hits right around late November.
Work gets busier, emails multiply, someone wants to organize a Secret Santa, and suddenly every store, ad, and commercial is asking if you’ve “finished your holiday shopping” like that’s a normal thing people do before Christmas Eve!
“Guess we’re going with gift card giving season again.”
And on top of all that, there’s still this quiet little voice in your head going,
“Remember your dreams? We still doing those… or?”
So let’s talk honestly about juggling work, life, holidays, and your own passion, without pretending there’s unlimited time or money.
When the Season Feels Like a Deadline:
The holidays come with this over-the-top, literally and emotionally expensive, 8-course checklist:
As a starter, a cozy home and some extra shifts. An appetizer of school stuff and kids getting sick. A quick soup of quality time. And the Entrée of family events with a side of the perfect gifts. And of course, for dessert, a side of emotional baggage.
I’m tired and it’s not even Thanksgiving! This is a reality many people face. It’s simple but true. Let’s try to stay positive through it all!
One thing that helps is quietly deciding:
“This year, I’m not doing everything. I’m choosing the things that actually matter.”
Not to the internet. Not to these unrealistic expectations.
To Me and My people. Mi Familia y Amigos.
Maybe that means: one real family night, one get-together with friends, and one small way you feed your own dream. That’s it. The rest is “nice if it happens,” not “I’m a failure if it doesn’t.”
Gifts on a Real Budget (Where January Still Exists):
Admittedly, a lot of holiday stress is money dressed in red and white wearing a Santa hat.
You’re trying to be generous on an income that still has to cover rent, groceries, gas, kids and surprise bills.
Before the shopping starts, there’s one question that’s saved me a lot of pain later:
“How much can I spend on gifts and still breathe in January?”
Whatever that number is, that’s the truth. It might not be what you wish, but it’s what you can actually live with.
From there, it gets easier to make decisions:
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Maybe adults skip gifts this year and focus on the kids.
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Maybe big families draw names so each person buys for one person instead of ten.
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(My Personal Favorite) Maybe the gifts get simpler, but the moments get more intentional.
And “simple” doesn’t mean “cheap and thoughtless.” Some of the best gifts are small but personal: a framed photo, a favorite snack with a note, a home-cooked meal when the holidays are over.
You’re not less loving because you respect your budget. That’s you taking care of yourself so you can take care of others, not just one month out of twelve but all year round.
The Guilt Spiral (Stepping Out of It):
Here’s the part nobody likes to say out loud: A lot of us walk around in December feeling guilty.
Guilty we can’t give more.
Guilty we’re tired.
Guilty the house doesn’t look like the ones we idealize in our heads.
If that’s you, you’re not alone. That’s me too.
Sometimes you have to literally talk back to that voice in your head:
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“My kids need me present, not perfect.”
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“My friends want me around, not broke and stressed.”
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“My worth is not measured in how many gifts I buy.”
You’re allowed to have limits. You’re allowed to say, “There’s a lot on my plate” and still be a good parent, partner, friend, or neighbor.
Making Space for Your Passion (Yes, Even Now)
Here’s the tricky part: in the middle of all this, you still have a you.
A version of you that wants to write, or draw, or make music, or build a business, or learn something new. And the holidays have a way of swallowing that person whole if you’re not careful.
The answer is not “wake up at 4 a.m. and grind.” You’re not a robot.
Instead, think small and stubborn:
one tiny block of time, once a week, that belongs to your dream.
Maybe it’s 30 minutes on a Sunday afternoon, or half an hour after the kids go to bed, or a quiet moment before everyone wakes up. You don’t have to “build the empire” in that time. You just have to keep the pilot light on.
Write one page.
Watch one tutorial.
Sketch one idea.
Send one email.
The goal isn’t to impress anyone.
It’s simply to remind yourself: “you’re making deposits not cashing out” “You’re adding stitches, not sewing the whole quilt.” “You’re planting seeds, not a forest.”
To use the childhood tale of the Tortoise and the Hare, It’s not important that in the end the Tortoise won.
It’s important that despite how slow the Tortoise goes, it continues to chug on until it reaches the finish line. Win or lose, the goal is to see it through.
A Simple Weekly Reset (So You Don’t Completely Short-Circuit):
The holidays can blur into one long, tiring blip if you let them. One thing that helps is a tiny weekly reset. Nothing fancy, just ten minutes with your calendar, a scrap of paper, or your phone.
Ask yourself:
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What absolutely has to happen this week? (Work, bills, appointments, school stuff.)
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What can be smaller, simpler, or skipped entirely?
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Where can I fit one small moment for my passion or rest?
You don’t need a perfect schedule. You’re just giving the week a little shape so it doesn’t run you over.
When It All Feels Like Too Much:
There will still be days when you’re exhausted, the gifts aren’t done, someone’s upset, and you’re wondering if you’re dropping every ball at once.
On those days, the job is NOT to fix everything! The job is to be gentle, compassionate and patient if you can.
This is one moment, in one day, out of a week, out of a month, out of a year, out of a lifetime.
Take a breath.
Do the kind thing for tomorrow-you and the people who care about you.
Your people don’t need a superhero; they need you, tired, trying, laughing when you can, and still showing up.
The Holiday You Deserve:
You deserve a holiday season that doesn’t crush you. One where:
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Your time isn’t owned by everyone else and your budget is respected.
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Your dreams aren’t shoved into a closet “until life calms down.”
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You get to live with the holiday spirit rather than get crushed my reaching your emotional limit.
In all honesty, life probably won’t calm down. But you can. You can still carve out pockets of joy, little corners of time, moments where you remember:
You’re not just surviving this season.
You don’t have to thrive this season.
You’ve just got to do your best, laugh when you can, and hold onto one, good, tiny reason.
One tiny reason to make Tis’ the season :)
And that messy, funny, imperfect, freezing December evening?
Tis’ might be the holiday that holds the deepest meaning.
A Customizable Poem To Remember Your Holiday Spirit:
Noise, demands, holiday cheer,
Heart racing but I am right here.
I won’t do everything under the sun,
But I will breathe, that’s step one.