As the holiday season is now in full swing and Christmas is just a few days away and then the New Year will be upon us, we at Youth Odyssey want to wish everyone a Happy and safe holiday season.
We know that the holidays can be a love it or hate it situation depending on how everything lines up. For example, you may have the best travel plan and plenty of time to get somewhere but then you get stuck in traffic or a flight gets canceled, and in comes the stress. There are the mall Santa pictures that can be quite the chore to get that perfect shot. Not to mention having family visit or visiting family can be incredibly stressful (it doesn’t have to be but it definitely can be). It’s always an interesting dynamic when extended family gets into the same house or room, there are a bunch of little ones running around, some want to sit and talk, and some want to watch the sports games. It can get pretty chaotic; and that’s just for those who don’t have to work on the holidays.
But through the stress of holiday travel and visits there is still that bit of “holiday magic,” no matter what was going on when I was a kid my family always loaded up the car and drove around the neighborhood to look at the various Christmas light displays. It was so simple but so fun. No matter the stress level, it all seemed to melt away in those minutes while oohing and awing at the creativity of the displays. On the note of traveling, it can be stressful in the moment but once it’s over and you are at your destination you may be sad over the time you missed but when you arrive everyone is so happy to see you and understanding of the situation that the stress can roll right off, and you can finally start to enjoy the holidays again. Yes mall Santa pictures have been going on for what seems like forever and I feel they will keep on for a very long time and will cause both child and parent a great deal of stress while the photos are being taken, but once you get that one, not crying, smiling shot it all seems worth it and, let’s be honest, even when the best picture you get is the child bawling or looking terrified it still makes for hilarious Christmas cards and memories when they get older and, through the laughter, the stress dissipates. I don’t know how it happens but even through the most 
stressful of family visits you still find a way to look back on it and say things like “it was nice to catch up with Uncle So and So and to see the little ones.” People tend to look back on the crazy holidays and reminisce about “that one Christmas where….” and find a way to laugh or bond over it. For those who have to work over the holidays and deal with all the stressed out shoppers, there may have a few busy/long days ahead but it makes them enjoy the days off so much more and be appreciative of the time they were able to spend with family.
Usually by New Years the guests have gone and there is a decompression period where you start to think about the impending New Year, which again can be stressful. Whether you’re one who likes to go to the huge New Years Eve parties or the one who likes to celebrate early with the New Yorkers from the comfort of the living room, or the one who has to work, everyone stresses at least a tiny bit over their New Years plans and the upcoming New Year. Personally, I’ve never been one for New Years Resolutions, because I can never think of anything good enough to deem a resolution, but I know a lot of people do. That can be a tricky time with everyone talking about “a new year, a new me” and make resolutions left and right with the optimism of this years resolution sticking better than last years. Or perhaps you’re that rare individual who is impressively dedicated to their resolutions and you start to form a sort of attack plan in order to accomplish it. All of these are inherently stressful situations and most people are in the same boat, which could explain why people throw crazy huge parties. What better way to decompress after a stressful year and a string of stressful holiday situations than to throw or attend a party where everyone is just there to have a good time and ring in the optimism of what the new year can bring.
Enter the “Holiday Magic.” “Holiday Magic” is a powerful and surprising bit of the holidays that has a way of bringing out the optimist in people, maybe not in the moment, but in the reflection of their trip or visit or rough day at work or crazy lines at the mall Santa or deciding on a resolution. There is always something positive that can be made out of all the stresses. So no matter what your holiday season brings you I hope, and Youth Odyssey hopes, that they end with a bit of “Holiday Magic” and let some of that stress slide off. Happy Holidays!
