Everyone begins the Christmas season with a tremendous amount of holiday spirit, well, almost everyone. There’s something special about the sense of wonder and delight that these days bring and the thought that anything is possible – that miracles can and do happen; everything about it warms the soul. 

But it’s easy to lose sight of the Reason for the season and become jaded if we let one of these three thieves steal our holiday spirit:

Money

Time

Family 

These three things can steal our joy if they get out of control. What’s supposed to be a happy and blessed time turns into stress, overwhelm, or sadness if your money, time, or family are out of whack. 

Money Can Steal Your Holiday Spirit

This comes as no surprise. We’ve all been there. Spending more than we should, leaving us with months of bills to pay off. It can be equally stressful if you don’t have any money to buy gifts, especially if you have kids. Either way, the holidays can be a burden, especially for a financially struggling marriage. 

Money problems steal your holiday spirit. 

Holiday spending can create so much stress! Decorations, presents, food, attending extra activities, and travel costs can wreak havoc on a budget. But you can ease some of the financial pressure by giving yourself permission to scale down some of your holiday plans. A perfect Christmas isn’t about how much you spend but about the priceless memories you make with your loved ones. 

Time can steal your holiday spirit

You only have so many hours in the day to get things done. You could sleep less, but that’s not a good solution. Everyone gets overcommitted this time of year with all the extra shopping, expenses, gatherings, activities, and time with family and friends added to your busy schedule. 

It zaps your energy and deflates your spirit. What should be fun becomes a burden. Taking charge of your time during the holidays is actually relatively easy. You can probably eliminate half the things on your to-do list, and nobody would know, and you would still have a wonderful Christmas. Besides, making a list and planning your route by grouping things together can save hours. Slow down to do more. 

Family can steal your holiday spirit

Family makes the holidays special and is one of the reasons we love this time of year so much! But that isn’t true for everyone, especially for couples struggling in their marriage or dealing with dysfunctions or addictions. 

Sadly, sometimes, the people you want to spend time with the most can cause the most problems. Or, you’re forced to spend time with certain family members you can avoid except at Christmas. Remember, it’s possible to set limits and boundaries that help you and your family have the best holiday possible. And, if you must, kindly but gently confront behaviors that are inappropriate or make the family feel uncomfortable during the holidays. 

If you’ve ever been short on cash or time or wanted to avoid certain people during the holidays, you’ve experienced one or more of these three Christmas thieves that rob you of your holiday spirit. But you don’t have to allow them to ruin your holiday. Plan ahead and take precautions to protect yourself and your family during the holidays so you can stay focused on the real Reason for the season.