This holiday season, say no to pressure and perfection. Join us in giving up just one thing—one unnecessary task, one obligation—and reclaim your joy.
With parental loneliness at an all time high, parents at their breaking point don’t need another holiday season filled with pressure and performance. We don’t need to make one more person feel special, to plan one more party, to clean up one more mess, or to add one more thing to the LONG list of to-dos that we carry around each day. What do we need? Permission to take just one thing OFF.
Research (or just your own experience) tells us that the pressure parent’s feel, the invisible “mental load” that we carry, isn’t good for us. It contributes to symptoms of anxiety and depression, to social isolation, chronic fatigue, burnout, and fear. But instead of using this information to make change, studies show that we are - as a society - increasing our expectations and demands of parents. More responsibilities? How do we get off this escalator? Where does it end?
Now we know that we can’t solve this problem alone, much as we would love to. But one way we can try to bring one glimmer of hope to this holiday season is to ask you to join us in this pledge. WE WILL GIVE UP ONE THING RIGHT NOW. One thing that we just don’t want to do. One thing that we don’t enjoy. One thing that isn’t necessary. One thing we don’t need.
Need proof? Here it is. A list of what we will NOT do this season.
- Mariel: I will NOT cook for holiday meals. I will let others cook, order out, go to restaurants or buy prepared foods instead…and actually enjoy entertaining.
- Chloe: I am giving up homemade baked goods for teachers and going gift cards instead.
- Erin: I’m giving up celebrating holidays multiple times - like having Thanksgiving 3 times so that those that can't make it on the actual day can still celebrate with us.
- Gabby: I’m giving up holiday cards. No need to worry about finding the perfect family photo, let alone organizing the photo shoot. No worrying about the dresses, the outfits, or forgetting someone on the address list.
- Ariel: I’m giving up holiday decorating. There will be no twinkle lights, no wreath, no plant wrapped staircases that I have to vacuum up.
- Sarah: I am giving up the need to say “yes” to every activity or event we are invited to! We are giving ourselves space to enjoy the holidays!
- Kate: "I am giving up sending in home baked goods to school parties."
- Mariko: “I am giving up saying ‘yes’ to everything, especially if those things are only done out of obligation and do not bring (my family and me) joy."
- Veronica: I am giving up buying Christmas gifts for my in-laws. That's my husband's responsibility.
- Robin: I will give up bouncing around to visit multiple family members. This year we are all meeting in one place.