The Expectation Trap

If you want to be singing Peggy Lee's "Is That All There Is?" during the holidays, then fall head first into the holiday expectation trap.

When we set up our expectations too high, we have set ourselves up, and those around us, for disappointment.

Some common expectation traps:

1. This will be a perfect holiday.

2. Everyone will reconcile and get along.

3. This will be the best holiday yet.

The Comparison Trap

One of the very best holiday seasons I ever had was Christmas of 1980. It was the end of my first semester of graduate school, I had worked my butt off, was able to go home for an entire month and hang out with my friends and girlfriend.

I got caught in the trap of comparing the next several holiday seasons to that one and they all come up short.

All of us can tell a similar story. There was that one magical holiday that we would love to experience again, or better yet even top it.

You can do again some of the same things from your best holiday ever. At the same time, your focus needs to be not on holidays past, but on this holiday.

The Hallmark Trap

So many people get caught up in this one.

We see the commercials and we believe the hype. In order for it to be a great holiday, it has to be something out of a Hallmark card or story.

The really important thing to remember here is that all those Hallmark holidays are scripted out, with as many takes as needed to get it right.

Our holidays are live.

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