Gift Yourself: How to Rid the Holidays of Must, Could Have and Should

By Vivian Banta
It's that time of year again. Some people call it the holiday season and as much as I enjoy it, I have an additional name for it as well: "The Must/Have To, Could Have and Should Season." In my mind, part of the reason, people are so stressed during the holidays has to do with all of the "must/have tos" that are running through their brains. So, they indulge themselves in various ways to compensate for the unhappiness derived from the pressure of the "have tos." Then, there comes the time of sober reflection towards the end of the year which I call the "could haves." Finally, there are the pledges to "do better" next year, which I call the "shoulds." No wonder people greet the season with equal amounts of joy and trepidation!I am always amazed when people tell me that they "must go" to an event like a holiday party or "have to" buy a gift for someone. They express no joy in it and in fact are usually conjuring up some way to avoid it altogether…….. Read the rest of this article