Coping with Christmas Chaos
By Cindi Myers
The writer’s life is such that most of us don’t have “normal” 9 to 5 schedules. We work weekends, nights, holidays and whatever the deadline or the muse demand. And most of us are fine with this. But overlay that schedule on top of the demands of a busy holiday season and well, something’s got to give.
I love Christmas. I love the decorations and the carols and the cookies and the gifts. (I love Christmas so much I got married on December 22 — our flowers were poinsettias and we took wedding pictures in front of the Christmas tree.) I want to celebrate all month long and I want to do everything.
But I’ve also got books to write and other work to take care of. What’s this Holly Jolly to do?
Because this season is important to me, I give myself permission to slack off a little for the weeks leading up to Christmas. I still work, but I take time each week (or even each day) to do the holiday things I enjoy. If I feel like baking cookies, I bake cookies. I watch holiday movies. I listen to holiday music and wrap presents. I take a drive around the neighborhood and look at lights.
To make room for all this and my writing, I had to give up some things. I decided to give up the holiday hassles I don’t enjoy. (Remember I said something has to give.) If it’s a Christmas activity that doesn’t make me feel good about the season, I don’t do it.
This means that some years I send lovely Christmas cards with handwritten notes, that I compose while sitting by the Christmas tree, music playing softly in the background, sipping hot cider.
And other years I say “the heck with that” and only send a handful of cards to people (like my mother-in-law) whom I know are counting on a card.
Some years I bake dozens of Christmas cookies.
Other years I buy any cookies we eat — or we just don’t eat cookies.
Some years I decorate indoors and out, having a blast stringing lights and wrapping garland. Other years — well, let’s just say that last year we never did put up a Christmas tree — and the holiday was great anyway.
On the other hand, decorations are a terrific excuse to forgo most housework during December. How can I dust around all that garland? 
And candlelight hides a lot of flaws, believe me.
I do 95 percent of my shopping online, and have gifts wrapped and sent directly to the recipients when possible. Staying away from stores and traffic reduces a lot of the stress of the holidays for me.
By focusing on what’s really important to me — the things that I enjoy most — I indulge in the good things about the season and I still manage to get a little work done, without feeling deprived or guilty.
One of my favorite things to do during the holidays? Curl up in front of the fire with a hot drink and a good book!
Cindi Myers is the author of The Woman Who Loved Jesse James.
