Tag: Christmas

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HOLIDAYS CAN BE BITTERSWEET FOR SENIORS

What is the best age for Christmas?  If you were lucky enough to have a stable home, perhaps it was before you became a teenager.  No extra work, no presents to buy–just a time for Christmas trees, cookies, caroling,  and waiting for Santa.  Then comes middle age, and the hectic holidays.  When you’re trying to bring cheer to your home and workplace, while worrying about your parents, co workers and kids.  But it’s still a fun, festive time.  And then, all of a sudden, you’re eighty,  and it  is not quite  the same. Holidays can be bittersweet for seniors.

Holidays may be bittersweet for seniors. Too much rich food can give you heartburn.
HOLIDAYS CAN BE BITTERSWEET FOR SENIORS. You have suffered losses of family and friends.  And long, festive meals may wear you out.

If you’ve made it to this milestone age, you’ve surely endured a lot of losses.  Parents and siblings. Death of a spouse or worse yet, a child.  Divorce. Friends who’ve either moved away or passed on.  And then, the loss of youthful energy and health. Many are suffering from a chronic medical condition such as diabetes, emphysema, or kidney failure.   You may be on a cane or in a wheelchair. But still, you look forward to the holidays–the decorations, music, and most of all, visits from loved ones.

Holiday meals may be delicious, but they’re apt to give you indigestion. .  It’s tempting to  pour gravy over the turkey, butter the roll s,  and  pile whip cream on the pie.   But if you over indulge, you’re apt to pay for it with sleepless nights filled with heartburn.  Be careful what you eat.  Remember, your tummy isn’t accustomed to all the extra  fat, salt, and sugar .

Family gatherings can warm your heart, but also wear you out.   Unfortunately, your body isn’t accustomed to long hours of sitting in a chair while visiting with relatives..  Festive holiday meals may drag on for hours.  Toasts, turkey carving, numerous courses, wine, conversation.  It used to be so enjoyable, but now you’re feeling sleepy before they bring out the fruitcake.

It’s important to realize that holidays can be bittersweet for seniors.  A song or photograph may trigger feelings of grief for what’s been lost.  Don’t expect  to be the life of the party or host a holiday meal.  Pace yourself.  You needn’t apologize for taking a short nap.   Do what you can, but don’t overdo.  And feel gratitude  that you’re still around for another holiday season. .

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HOW TO AVOID HOLIDAY REGRETS

Everyone looks forward to the holiday season.  But when it’s over we may feel a post season slump.  Things didn’t go as well as expected, and it’s partly our own fault.  Here’s how to avoid holiday regrets:

Do you control your appetite or does it control you?  The holidays start on Thanksgiving and don’t end until Jan 2.  Now is the time for some preventive maintenance.  Start downsizing your body before the holidays even begin. This gives you some leeway if you eat too much pecan pie and stuffing.

One way to control your weight is to ignore those first signs of hunger. Don’t head for the frig as soon as you feel your stomach gnawing or growling.  Drink a glass of water.   Do some exercises–anything to get your mind on something else. And on the big day, try to avoid second servings.

Here are five ways to avoid holiday regrets.
TOO MUCH ALCOHOL CAN TRIGGER FAMILY FEUDS AT HOLIDAY GATHERINGS.

Alcohol and  relatives don’t  always mix.  Not everyone likes their in laws.  If you’re a never Trumper, someone in the family probably likes him.  Family gatherings are fertile grounds for disagreements over just about anything. The choice of restaurant, a loan that wasn’t paid back, grandpa’s will.  The list goes on and on.  You try to bite your tongue most of the time, but an extra glass of wine or a double scotch is apt to loosen it. .  And before you know it, you’ve said something nasty  and you can’t take it back. Know your limits.  Don’t let too much alcohol ruin family harmony and leave you feeling ashamed of yourself.

It’s fine to give expensive presents if you can afford them.  But don’t overspend. Who wants to be paying off Christmas bills at Easter time?

Don’t feel you must go home for Christmas. Ice and snow usually create hazardous conditions at least once during the season.  No family wants to get a call that their loved ones have been in an accident. You can always celebrate a few days later when the roads have cleared.

Stay home if you’re sick.  Don’ t push yourself  to attend social gatherings or go to work.  If you feel  you’re coming down with something, you’re probably contagious.  A bad virus infection can turn into pneumonia if you don’t stay in bed until you’re well.    For your own sake, and the wellness of others,  take care of yourself until you’re feeling healthy again.

Here’s hoping your holidays are full of happy memories, and no regrets!

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GRATITUDE, GRANDCHILDREN & THANK YOU NOTES

Do you always receive a thank you note expressing gratitude for the presents you send to your grandchildren?

A HANDWRITTEN THANK YOU IS A SPECIAL TREAT
MANY CHILDREN TODAY ARE MORE APT TO TEXT A THANK YOU, RATHER THAN WRITE A NOTE
If you listen to women at club meetings and bridge parties, you’re apt to hear a lot of grumbling on the subject.  Conventional wisdom says you should stop sending gifts to anyone who doesn’t acknowledge receiving them.  But hey, wait a minute.   Between the two of us, my husband and I have nine grandchildren,  Some write lovely thank you notes, some text or email, and a few of them say nothing at all.  Are we supposed to stop sending birthday and Christmas checks to the ungrateful ones?  We must conclude that those who don’t acknowledge gifts have not been well trained by their parents—who happen to be our very own children.
  
At our age, we never know when some medical disaster will strike.  So, before that happens, we want each and every grandchild to know that we love  them.  Who knows what troubles they will experience  as they struggle through school, work, marriage and raising children?.  Perhaps, at some low moment, they will feel cheered to think they had a grandparent who cared enough to remember them on every single birthday and at Christmas time.   As a matter of fact, I went to a funeral  years ago, and the grandson who gave the eulogy mentioned that his grandmother always sent him a birthday card, even though he lived in Japan and only visited her once a year.

Some of our grandchildren live nearby, and we see them often.  Naturally, we will form stronger bonds with the ones who live close than with those who are thousands of miles away.  Then, too, there are issues like divorce or in-law problems that affect the way our grandchildren feel about us. 

But as long as we are able, we’re going to keep sending those cards or  checks to all of them.