Holiday seasons suck.
Traffic, high prices, everything reserved or sold out.
Sure, you get to spend time with family and friends, eat good food, do festive stuff, exchange gifts… but why not do those things when you want, instead of when everyone else is doing it?
Make your own holiday.
It’s more special and personal, and there’s no crowds.
Seem crazy? You’re already doing it for one occasion: your birthday. It fits all 3 traits, no? That’s a taste of what all of your holidays could be like.
Remember: holidays don’t suck – holiday seasons do.
The reason you gather for the holidays when you do is because you’re used to it. Your reality is that family get-togethers, presents, and festive things happen at ChristmaHanuKwanzaakah. You might not know that anything else is possible.
But no one is stopping you from having your holidays whenever you want. If you like how your birthday celebration is compared to your other holidays, why not just change the others?
You can still celebrate certain times of the year for spiritual or personal reasons, but the holiday get-together bonanzas you can have whenever you want. When the weather is nicer, there’s less crowds, and it’s more affordable.
Wouldn’t that big family ski getaway be nicer without the resort being jam-packed? And you actually got the lodge you wanted at a reasonable price? Just move the date of your holiday over a few weeks. Or traveling somewhere and not having the place be congested with tourists? And all the good hotels be sold out? Just go when it’s not tourist season.
Now I know those with jobs will say, “Yo Oleg, my job only gives me days off during the holiday seasons.” Granted, making your own holiday isn’t applicable to every scenario. But I’m just throwing the idea out to you. If making your own holiday seems like something you’d want, you can work with what you have to make it happen – as with anything in life.
I’ve gone on holiday vacations in December where the ski resort was packed. The lifts and slopes were crammed with other riders, and it sucked. But when we went after the peak in January and February, the trip was so much better. Less crowds, better riding, awesome-er experience.
We made our own holiday, and it rocked. Who cares when others were doing it? This is our holiday, for our happiness and enjoyment – not to show others when we get together.
Are you tired of holiday seasons sucking? Fed up with the traffic, high prices, and everything reserved or sold out?
Make your own holiday. Avoid the crowds and enjoy your special occasions on your own terms.
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(Image: Happoubijin)
9 Comments
I don’t pay much attention to holidays, because as you say, we can choose which day is our holiday. I like to give people stuff on the normal days, because that’s when they aren’t expecting it, it’s more fun that way
Great point Henri – when people least expect a gift or gesture, that’s when it’s most special.
Here’s to making our own holidays and special moments,
Oleg
Awesome!
I was not sure where you were going with the article until you laid down the benefits of doing things at other time when everybody is NOT doing them! Very very great idea!
I have thought about this in regards to buying clothes, when you buy winter clothes right before fall and so on. This is very similar idea and I love it! It makes so much sense.
I can already see myself celebrating X at an off time of the year
Best,
Tomas
So true Tom – buying stuff in the off-season is cheaper and better as well. Clothes during off-season, gadgets when they’re not announced during a tech-frenzy, and so forth.
To celebrating our own X,
Oleg
Oleg,
My first visit to your blog from AONC.
A very refreshing view of holidays indeed. It seems that social conditioning kind of “pre-programs” our lives at times…it’s when we break that conditioning that we experience life to the fullest.
Great stuff man.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting Joseph. Appreciate the nice words and hope you like what I’ve got here on Lifebeat for you.
Interesting you point out social conditioning. It definitely plays a role in how many celebrate holidays. Some think you HAVE to do something for Christmas, go out on New Year’s Eve, and so forth. But no one’s stopping you from staying in and reading a book, and then having your own celebration with family and friends at another (less crowded) time.
Looking forward to having you here Joseph,
Oleg
Thanks Oleg! Just read your free e-book too…you’re on to something here.
That’s good stuff! My hubby and I were just talking about upcoming travels for the year. Traveling on the holidays SUCKS – seriously. We decided to build some “other-days” for our family. In October, we’ll make the trek to New Mexico for a super huge balloon festival so that we can see our nieces and nephew. This will become a yearly event for us, but will also allow us the stress of trying to see everyone during the holidays. Great post!
Thanks for your comment Bloom. So awesome that you’re creating “other-days” for your family. That annual October event will no doubt be incredible for y’all – much more so than if it was around Thanksgiving or Christmas
Thanks for sharing, and here’s to crowd-free special events,
Oleg