What if, instead of adding more to your Christmas to-do list, you started crossing things off?
In this guest blog, rest coach and spiritual director Kerry McLeish reflects on the pressures that often accompany the festive season and shares a simple but transformative idea: creating a Christmas “un-to-do list”. Drawing on her own experience and expertise, she explores how intentional rest can help us find renewed energy, greater joy and a healthier rhythm of life as Christmas approaches. These themes will be explored further on her upcoming retreat, The Gift of Rest for Christmas: Renew Your Energy for Life Through Intentional and Effective Rest (17-19 November).
Writing a Christmas ‘un’ to do list by Kerry McLeish
Last week I had an email to remind me to book my Christmas food delivery slot. The first of the pre- Christmas jobs. The run up to Christmas is a time when many of us have lots of extra things to do; buying presents, writing cards, extra cooking, nativity plays, school concerts, Christmas work do’s, decorating the house, the list can seem endless. But all of this is on top of the everyday work we are all doing and it is easy to find that you arrive at Christmas day exhausted and wishing for the whole thing to be over!
In preparation for Christmas this year I have decided to write a different sort of list, an ‘un’ to do list?
A list of things that can wait until after Christmas, things that could be done less often, or more easily than normal, and things that actually no one would notice if they weren’t done at all – The nice to have done but not a need to do.
On this ‘un’ to do list will be all but essential housework, by which I mean, that which is necessary to avoid a health hazard. Hopefully people will have better things to do over Christmas than notice how shiny the house is.
Unnecessary cooking is on the list. I am going to reduce cooking time pre-Christmas by actually using the meals I have stored away in the freezer, or have the simplest of meals that take little time or effort to make.
I am going to cancel or rearrange everything in the diary that is not essential to do before Christmas (unless it brings great joy). I have found most people are delighted to be given some extra time in December.
These are a few examples of items on my ‘un’ to do list.
The things that won’t go on the list are those activities that are restful for me, the things that fill me up and refresh me, they are definitely essential. I will need every bit of energy to host my large family for Christmas again this year.
The more well rested I am when Christmas arrives, the more I enjoy the celebrations and the nicer I am to be around for everyone else too!
I wonder what you could put on your un to do list?