I confess: I buy $7 oat milk cappuccinos and chocolate croissants before I run errands on Saturdays. When my friends indulge in yoga classes and afternoon shopping, they call it “Meg Day.”
December Meg is different. Like the vast majority of AmericansI can't avoid stress during the holidays. I need to tighten my budget to make sure I can afford the cranberry-flavored cocktails at holiday parties and the $80 Skims bodysuits on my sister's wish list – otherwise I'll risk credit card debt.
But when it's cold, dark, and airports are full of people who act like they've never traveled on a TSA airline before, I need extra energy to meet my year-end deadlines. So I came up with a golden mean. I continue with my usual self-care routine, bordering on indulgent, but I substitute classes that cost $0.
Here are four ways I can carve out a little more time for myself this holiday season that doesn't feel like a chore and doesn't cost a dime.
Free attractions
Every city I've lived in, big or small, is full of twinkling lights and free or low-cost community events around the holidays.
In New York, where I currently live, museums often designate time slots during which visitors can visit for free or at a discount. You can find other free events – like tango lessons, silent discos, or stargazing on The High Line – quite easily on social media.
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When I lived in Adrian, Michigan, I checked local college, government and news websites, as well as Eventbrite pages and Facebook groups, to find these events, from holiday concerts to tree lighting ceremonies.
This year I'm attending the light show and going to the Christmas market with my family in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan. My sister promises to help me stop buying hot chocolate in a shoe-shaped mug.
Shopping outside the window
Dreaming about next year's wardrobe instead of buying it is a pretty obvious way to save money if you have enough self-control. But window shopping is hard for me. I will never be able to resist a pair of Miista shoes on sale.
Instead, I take different routes home to see as many Christmas-decorated streets as possible – another form of window shopping with fewer financial consequences. Sometimes someone will leave the light on in their living room and I'll catch glimpses of evergreen trees decorated with lights, giant reflective red bulbs, and paper angels.
Some of my co-workers engage in similar sensory-activating activities like trying on fragrances, buying candles, or patrolling the grocery store aisles looking for free samples. This is a wise suggestion: Activation of the five senses Research shows that this is an easy way to relieve anxiety.
Turn my living room into a cafe or my bathroom into a spa
I have two hobbies that I'm really good at – ice skating and writing – and at least 12 that I tried once and never went back to. I wish I had more time to master them all.
My editor had a good idea: grab a comfy blanket, put on your favorite playlist, make yourself a fancy hot drink, and practice an activity of your choice for a few hours. (Editor's Note: This guy seems pretty smart!)
I replaced the overhead lights with lamps, turned on The Beatles, and tried to complete a $25 crochet kit I impulsively bought online a few months ago. I sat under a blanket, sipped ginger tea from my favorite mug, and after two hours I felt generally energized – even though I had only sewn three rows of my crocheted strawberry.
In the period between Christmas and New Year, I will do it again – this time as part of an at-home spa, using countless cosmetics that I have collected over the years but rarely use.
My editor will be happy, and probably not surprised, to learn that his suggestion is backed by science: Practicing something creative can it will make you a better problem solver– say psychologists. And simple fun can relieve stress and build social skills and mental toughness, no matter how old you are. research shows.
Meet an old friend – or not
The holidays can be festive, stressful and comforting all at the same time, and everyone deals with this tension differently. Some people, for example, benefit from scheduling a call with a friend before or after group events.
On the contrary: I get tired of social and family responsibilities because I feel like I have to be “on” most of the time when I'm awake to meet everyone's expectations. So in the weeks leading up to Christmas, I schedule time to “stare at the wall.”
Solitude and silence give time for reflectionwork through difficult emotions and be more present when you are ready to rejoin the Word, professor of religious studies at the University of Pennsylvania Justin McDaniel he told me in 2022. After a few minutes of sitting in true silence, I scroll through my phone, watch Thanksgiving episodes of Gossip Girl, or do laundry.
The downtime recharges me so I can argue with my family about which Christmas movie to watch on Christmas Eve.
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