A fibro-FRIENDLY Christmas

A fibro-FRIENDLY Christmas

When you have any chronic illness, holidays are usually difficult. This is especially true with Fibromyalgia (FMS).  Chronic illness, again including FMS, is also hard on the wallet, and the holidays are as well! In today’s economy, this is even more so than in years past. With these things in mind, I decided to take a new look at how those with FMS could decrease stress this year. I have combined the considerations of stress, energy, pain, fatigue, expense, and what the holidays…and family and friends…are really all about.

Holidays involve family visits, big dinners and or parties, and gift-giving. As if those things alone are not enough, they do not “just happen” without a lot of prep-time…a lot of energy, thought, work, etc. We want our homes “company-clean” and decorated. We want to serve everyone’s favorite dish. We want to see the look on a loved one’s face when they open their gift and it is just exactly what they wanted! Healthy people are usually worn out pulling all of this off, let alone trying to do it when you have FMS! None-the-less, we who have FMS perhaps want even more than those who are healthy to make the holidays special; extra special because we know our fibro-live imposes upon their lives, making them also fibro-lives. But with FMS, how does one ever pull off the successful holiday we envision?

Well, first of all…we do not. We have to accept that in truth picture-perfect-holidays are just that: pictures! Once we have done that, we set some realistic goals, and with some “out-of- the-gift-box-thinking”, we can achieve them!

What exactly is this “out-of-the-gift-box-thinking”? (Shamelessly, the pun is most certainly intended!) I am suggesting that you combine the chores that need to be done and the gifts that are to be given to create a less expenses and less stressful holiday for all!

Suggest that rather than buying you gifts, your family and friends “do” something for you as their gift this year! Suggestions:

• Get the house “company-clean”
  
  
• Decorate the house, perhaps even your porch and front lawn, for the holiday
  
  
• Help you brain-storm your own gift list
  
  
• Do your gift shopping for you
  
  
• Help you plan holiday get-to-gathers
  
  
• Prepare dishes for the holiday meals and/or parties
  
  
• Clean up after meals and/or parties
  
  
• Take down and store holiday decorations when the holiday is over
  
  

 You can also offer your time and services as gifts to others rather than having to spend money or shop! You have to start early in order to give yourself plenty of time, but you could offer to do many things that those who work outside of the home find hard to get done.

• Address Christmas cards
  
  
• Conduct internet research on gifts that they are seeking or need more information about
  
  
• Organize pictures from past holidays for a special, surprise display
  
  
• Clip coupons for grocery items that will be needed for the feasts or for gift items or get coupons from internet sites
  
  
• Send out invitations for holiday gatherings whether by mail, email, facebook, text messages, phone calls, etc
  
  
• Frost and/or decorate cupcakes and/or cookies that others have already baked
  
  

These are just a few ideas. Now that I have gotten you started, I am sure you can come up with many more! You might even expand on it! Perhaps weekly you have the time to clip coupons for your very busy daughter or daughter-in-law as a type of “gift that keeps on giving”! Or maybe your grandsons can take turns doing your lawn work for you all year as their gift to you!

The possibilities are endless and we would love to hear of any you come up with! Also, we want to know how well our ideas work for you! Please share your fibro-FRIENDLY Christmas results and ideas with us after the holidays!

Have a Merry fibro-CHRISTMAS and a Happy, Happy New fibro-YEAR !

Blessings on you and your fibroLIFE!

~Meshea Crysup, Founder/Director of fibroLIFE

www.MesheaCrysup.com

mesheacrysup@gmail.com
Originally published in Oct of 2012.