Holidays

Holiday Reflections

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Blog - Holiday Reflections

The holidays, with their glittering lights and joyful traditions, often bring both joy and a heavy weight of expectation – especially for caregivers. It’s easy to feel like you must keep everything as it has always been, holding onto past traditions and memories as though they define the season. But caregiving changes us; it changes what we can give, what we can do, and how we experience this time of year. The truth is, we simply cannot do all the things we used to. And that’s okay.

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Gift Ideas for Caregivers

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Gift List

If you’re like me, the weeks leading up to the holidays have you being constantly bombarded with requests from family and friends for a list of gift ideas. You may also be asking others for their lists. But what do you get for the caregivers in your life – the people who give of themselves seemingly endlessly, and who rarely ask for anything specific. I’ve collaborated with the other talented women on the Breathing Spaces blog team to offer this Caregiver’s Gift Guide.  Each of us has suggested a tangible gift – something that can be touched, held, or used – and an intangible gift – something of and from the heart.  Even better, these gifts are not limited to caregivers, but are suitable for anyone on your gift list.

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Simplifying Holidays

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ART - Simplifying Holidays

Simplifying holidays to reduce stress is something I’ve been embracing as I’ve gotten older, and life has become busier and less predictable. Several years ago, when I was recovering from knee surgery and couldn’t climb ladders, we downsized our decorating. I skipped the garland wrapped around the bannisters (something you should avoid anyway when you’re hosting anyone with mobility issues), cut the menu in half (do we really need mashed potatoes AND whipped sweet potatoes?), and downsized my tree from an eight-foot behemoth (which STILL didn’t have enough room for my vast collection of ornaments) to a five-and-a-half-foot tree with all the light connections inside the center pole. I’ve also culled my ornament collection, giving some away to younger friends with growing families, and discarding anything that was worn, damaged, or just didn’t speak to me any longer.

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