Holiday

Every January, my counseling practice experiences an increase in new clients and appointments. I’ve jokingly come to refer to January as “Holiday Rehab.” Of course, many people do choose January to start therapy as a function of their new resolutions. But equally compelling are the number of people who come with the goal of improving family relationships triggered by holiday tension and stressful holiday interactions. So I’ve compiled some of my best advice that can be applied AHEAD of the holiday to hopefully improve the holiday experience and preserve a little bit of your sanity. Manage Your Expectations If I could pick one thing that I think causes the most disappointment and stress, it would be expectations. Now I don’t mean that...

As we were beginning the Christmas season this year, my son Micah, who is currently 11 years old asked the question we parents attempt to prepare for as our children age. “Is Santa Real?’ Now we all know that every family chooses whether or not to have Santa visit their house. For us, we have always had Santa come complete with leaving milk and cookies (making my husband scarf them down) and sending letters off with our lists every year. For the past couple years, I have been waiting for this question to come but never knew exactly what I would say. Once Micah asked I told him that I needed to think a little while and I would get...

Walking through the sturdy, gleaming white front doors adorned with larger-than-life Christmas wreaths, I was greeted by a warm smile and a "Hey, how are ya? Thank you for coming!" from Louisiana's First Lady Donna Edwards. I wanted to reach out to Mrs. Edwards, who is a former music teacher and mom of three-Samantha (24), Sarah Ellen (21), John Miller (14)- to find out more about her first year and first Christmas in the Louisiana Governor's Mansion. And also, her first year in being a mom in the Red Stick! Mrs. Edwards' husband, Governor John Bel Edwards, was inaugurated on January 11, 2016. This year Louisiana experienced two major floods (one of which flooded the ground floor of the Governor's mansion and...

  Lights are twinkling, jolly music is playing, and all is merry and bright! Right? If you're anything like me you absolutely love the holidays. I enjoy most things Christmas. BUT there are a few things I could certainly live without...  Holiday party overload... Holiday parties can be very nice and the sentiment behind them is wonderful. It becomes an issue when families overload their calendars with such events. People feel obligated simply because they receive an invite. This is not the purpose of these gatherings. Whether it be office parties, friends, or social organizations, be careful not to overload your holiday calendar with events that you sincerely don't want to attend. For my family, we adopted a rule - we give...

About four years ago a friend and I were discussing our childhood Christmas gifts, and I she challenged me to name 20 gifts I had received as a child. No problem! Or so I thought ... would you believe that I had a hard time getting past naming 10??!! As we discussed childhood and family memories, it became apparent to me that I could not remember many of the toys I had been given, but what I could remember were things we did together. I remember things like vacations, the family reunions, trips to the zoo, spending summers at the pool, or piling in a car to see all the Christmas lights in town ... MEMORIES became what I treasured. This change...