THE HOLIDAY SURVIVAL GUIDE 🎄

Every year, the same song plays: we hunt for gifts, think about the holiday menus and the kids’ outfits, and remember that moment when we promised ourselves to “keep Christmas simple,” knowing full well nothing would really be simple. In short, we try to please everyone, anticipate everything, and coordinate it all, with the feeling that if we don’t think about it, nothing will get done…

So how can we lighten the load? Sure, plan ahead where you can, but above all, accept that you can’t control everything. Don’t hesitate to delegate tasks and responsibilities (yes, it’s possible!). Simplify your expectations, because no one is waiting for the “perfect Christmas” straight out of a December TV movie. Our advice: let go of the idea of a “Pinterest-perfect dinner” in favor of a warm, simple, and real meal.

Plus, the holidays often mean family visits, which can feel like an adventure in itself: negotiating nap schedules, dealing with overflowing luggage, putting on and taking off coats, driving long distances, traffic jams, and bathroom breaks… Exhausting just thinking about it.

So for the journey, try to turn travel time into little moments of joy: a Christmas playlist for some family sing-alongs, snacks to please the kids (and parents), and fun games to pass the time, like the ones in our coloring book available through your loyalty program… All while taking a breath and remembering that the holidays shouldn’t become a source of stress or a logistics test.

We rarely talk about this side of the holidays, yet it exists for many of us. Between the pressure to please, the fear of disappointing, the desire for everything to be perfect, mounting logistics, family expectations, and dreaded conversations… the mental load can feel overwhelming. The holidays aren’t always just joy and twinkling lights—they can also bring a host of quieter anxieties that gather around the Christmas tree.

So what can we do in these situations? 🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒

First, there’s family pressure. The kind that tells us we must be everywhere, respond with a smile, accept “well-meaning” remarks, adapt to traditions that don’t always feel like ours, and please everyone. But remember: you don’t have to endure it all. You’re not obliged to answer every question or justify your choices, your life, or anything else. Setting boundaries isn’t running away—it’s protecting your energy. 🎁

Then there’s gift pressure. Finding the right gift, for the right person, at the right price, without forgetting anyone. For kids, the pressure is even greater: we want to match magic with practicality, fulfill unrealistic lists, make everyone happy while avoiding overconsumption… a real headache.

This year, what if we shifted our perspective a bit? What if a gift could be simple, symbolic, or even intangible? An activity to share, a memory to create, a good time spent together… Kids don’t need ten gifts under the tree to be happy—and adults even less. The best gift is presence, time, and sharing. Everything else is just wrapping paper. ⭐

And then there are those for whom Christmas no longer looks like it used to. Because we’ve lost someone, because family has changed, because we’re going through a difficult time, or simply because we need calm, distance, or to do things differently this year. Know this: there’s no obligation to “do things like before,” no rule that dictates how the holidays must be lived. Spending Christmas with just a few people, as a couple, alone, or even not celebrating at all, is also a way to take care of yourself—equally legitimate and just as precious.

The key thing to remember is that the holidays aren’t an emotional endurance test—they’re human moments, imperfect, as warm as they are chaotic. They’re tender moments full of laughter, smells, cooking, little hands clinging to ours, and memories being made above all. What matters is listening to yourself and leaving space for your own well-being. Because when you’re doing well, everyone else benefits too.

Surviving the holiday season means letting go of some of the pressure, releasing what isn’t essential, and protecting your energy and that of your family. Remember that behind the gift hunts and countless meals, the true desire is to be together with the people we love.

In short, your mission isn’t to organize “the best holidays ever.” Your mission is to enjoy these moments with a light heart. And this year, what if that was the real gift? 💛

-

Written by Bertrand Lamy
@tajinebanane