All holidays are special in their own way and we all have our favorites. For me, that’s Christmas (followed closely by my birthday).

The holiday season usually comes with a full social calendar. Before you make another move, make a rule that you will not say “yes” to everything this holiday season. If you are a serial acceptor of invites (like I used to be), it’s time to practice some self control.

My gentleman lover and I choose to attend his work holiday party instead of mine because it’s a more intimate affair, and frankly it’s more convenient.

Then there are the divorced parents, his siblings and my remaining grandparents, who all live roughly 2 hours away by plane, but not necessarily near each other. Over the years we’ve trained them to not expect us on Thanksgiving or Christmas, but we often coordinate a mid-season rendezvous with part of the family in early December (especially if it involves warm weather). They seem satisfied with this compromise.

Because I look forward to Christmas all year long, there are several things that I will NOT deprioritize:

• A real Christmas tree and decorations

• Christmas music (which I’m now allowed to listen to before Thanksgiving)

• Christmas movies (Elf, Love Actually, White Christmas, Christmas Vacation)

• Holiday cocktail parties with our dearest and/ or most fun friends (I’m on the hunt for a crowd-pleasing holiday punch if you have any suggestions

• Enjoying downtime with my immediate family (my aforementioned gentleman lover and our two dogs) and if logistics work out, visiting some of those relatives before holiday travel gets out of hand

I barely lift a finger for other holidays. I don’t say “bah humbug” to them, but it’s essential that I store up my festive energy for this one.

-T