Oh by gosh by golly (it's that time again)

Words ABBEY BENVEGNU

And no, I don’t mean Christmas.

Well, I do… But it’s also that time of year that puts a lot of strain on people. Whether it’s a strain on their finances, a strain on their relationships, or strain on themselves, as they try and create the perfect holiday.

Let’s touch on this a little.

Financially – the holiday period can be a time where people spend extravagantly, regardless of whether they have the income to spare or not.

If you’ve been following my tips closely this year, hopefully you will have been able to put some extra money aside to help you during this time, but if not, here’s a couple of tips to help you out: 1. Bargain hunt – there are so many discounts this time of year, utilise them! 2. Check through your cupboards – instead of buying new food, check to make sure you don’t have things you need tucked away at the back of your cupboard. Every dollar adds up! 3. Get your kids to make gifts instead of buying them. Gifts for teachers or friends don’t need to be expensive. Make a batch of sugar cookies, get your kids to decorate them and hand those out as gifts instead!

Relationships – whether you love the festive season and your partner doesn’t or if it’s something else entirely, this time of year can be hard on relationships. And if you have kids, times that strain by about a thousand! But it doesn’t need to be that way. If you can, take some time each week, or even better, half an hour everyday out of your busy schedule for some alone time. Give each other a big hug and tell each other how much you appreciate them. It may not seem like much, but it will help a lot in the long run!

Family – spending extended amounts of time with your family can be exhausting. It’s no secret that adding family to the festive season can result in extra stress. This is a time of giving and it’s important to remember that, regardless of how often your family may be giving some necessary advice, you may want to politely ask them to join you in some festive dancing! You can still love and appreciate them!

Don’t forget that after the festive season ends, it’s 2021! 2021 is the year of ‘disclosure’ which means that anything you may have been holding in needs to come into the light.

While that may sound daunting, it’s not! It’s actually a great way to release anything that may have been holding you back, to launch you into a new, better form of growth!

www.abbeybenvegnu.com