Every November, perfectly reasonable people look at a calendar full of cooking, travel, shopping, and family gatherings and say, “We should also move the entire living room.”
Then someone hands us a plastic bin labeled CHRISTMAS, which apparently contains ornaments, three extension cords, and a small refrigerator.
By December, we are surviving on leftovers, sentimental movies, and the belief that one more trip to the store will fix everything.
I’m Dr. Corey Strunk, chiropractor and owner of Firm Foundation Wellness Center in Old Town Keller. I’d like to make one small request this season: leave a little room in the holidays for the person doing all this celebrating.
You. Preferably after a decent night’s sleep.
The decorations have become an extreme sport
Clark Griswold’s enthusiasm in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is impressive. His home improvement decisions deserve a separate conversation.
Somewhere between “Let’s put up a wreath” and “Can the neighbors see this from space?” decorating can become a surprisingly ambitious physical project.
Here’s a useful holiday rule: if you need to announce “I think I can reach it,” pause before proceeding.
Use a stable ladder or step stool suited to the job. Move it closer instead of stretching farther. Split heavy loads into smaller ones, keep them close enough to control, and get help with awkward decorations. These ideas fit the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ holiday safety advice. [1]
Give yourself a stopping point, too. The entire house does not need to become the North Pole before dinner.
For more practical help, read Your Back Doesn’t Know It’s Christmas, our guide to decorating, lifting, and holiday travel.
The elf has a night shift and apparently so do you
The Elf on the Shelf sounds like a charming tradition until it is 11:47 p.m. and you are constructing a tiny zip line across the kitchen.
The elf has no job, no bills, and no school pickup responsibilities. Somehow, you are the one losing sleep.
Add late gift wrapping, early shopping, and one more episode of whatever everyone is watching, and bedtime becomes a vague seasonal suggestion.
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recommends giving yourself enough time to sleep, keeping sleep and wake times consistent, and making room for a quiet wind-down before bed. [2]
Try choosing a realistic time to stop holiday projects. Set tomorrow’s list aside. If caffeine keeps you awake, pay attention to that late-afternoon coffee, even when it arrives in a very festive cup.
And if your household has an elf, perhaps tonight he could demonstrate the ancient North Pole tradition of sitting quietly on a shelf.
The couch has recruited you for a double shift
Thanksgiving has a remarkable schedule: prepare food, eat food, discuss the food, put away food, and sit down to watch other people exercise.
As a Steelers fan, I understand the appeal of that last part.
Enjoy the game. Then give yourself an intermission. Take a comfortable walk, move around between movies, or invite someone to stroll with you and look at the lights.
A short walk is worthwhile even when you cannot fit in a full workout. CDC guidance emphasizes that some activity is better than none and that activity can be spread throughout the week. [3]
Choose a pace and duration that suit your abilities. A holiday walk can be a chance to catch up with someone, with absolutely no requirement to turn it into a family fitness competition.
You also do not need to “earn” your pie. Let movement be something you do for yourself, without making dessert a moral issue.
Hosting this year? Our Thanksgiving back and neck guide has more ideas for cooking, couch time, and the drive to see family.
Your family traditions have excellent company
If your relatives have a few unusual holiday customs, the rest of the world would like a word.
In Icelandic folklore, 13 Yule Lads visit in the nights leading up to Christmas. Many children leave shoes by a window for small gifts. The characters include Spoon Licker and Door Slammer. [4]
In some homes, those are simply job descriptions.
Meanwhile, Gävle, Sweden, has a tradition of building a giant straw Christmas goat, dating back to 1966. [5]
So the inflatable reindeer in your neighbor’s yard is showing admirable restraint.
There is something lovely about the ridiculous things people do to make a season feel special. A tradition can be memorable because everyone laughs, because someone always tells the same story, or because the cookies look nothing like the picture.
You can choose traditions that fit your energy, budget, and household. If an elaborate ritual has become another exhausting obligation, simplify it. The people you love can still have a wonderful evening with store-bought cookies and an elf who has taken a personal day.
Even Scrooge got to change his plans
In A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens gives Scrooge this promise: “I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” [6]
An excellent goal. Keeping every December obligation on your calendar is optional.
Before agreeing to the next project, ask yourself what you actually want from it. Time with family? A chance to serve someone? A quiet evening? You may be able to get there without matching pajamas, a three-course meal, and a wreath that requires structural engineering.
It is also okay if this season feels complicated. Grief, finances, family changes, or simply being worn out can exist alongside the celebrations. You do not have to perform holiday cheer for everyone else.
Leave room for the parts that matter to you. A walk, a conversation, or a familiar movie can be enough for tonight.
A little room for you in Old Town Keller
That is part of what I want people to feel at Firm Foundation Wellness Center: there is room for you here.
Room to explain what has been bothering you. Time to ask questions. A conversation about what you want to get back to doing, whether that is lifting at the gym, sitting through a school performance, or getting through an ordinary workday more comfortably.
My approach brings together one-on-one attention, movement assessment, and care guided by your examination and goals. If pain keeps returning or limits your activities, an evaluation can help us discuss appropriate next steps.
You are welcome to get to know me and the office, see what a first visit involves, or explore more articles. If you would like to come in, you can book a visit here.
For now, enjoy the traditions. Ask for help with the giant bin. And give yourself permission to sit down before you are completely exhausted.
The elf can handle his own travel arrangements.
Dr. Corey Strunk, DC Firm Foundation Wellness Center · 140 Pecan Street · Keller, Texas
General education; individual symptoms and care recommendations require a personal assessment.
Sources and further reading
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons — holiday travel and decorating safety
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute — Healthy Sleep Habits
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — Adding Physical Activity as an Adult
- Visit Iceland — Meet the Icelandic Yule Troll Family
- Visit Gävle — The Gävle Goat
- Charles Dickens — A Christmas Carol, Stave Four, via Project Gutenberg