Almost every year since my divorce in 2001 (with the exception of two years over the past six years) the holidays have always been kinda tough for me. You see, my holidays used to be filled with decorating, baking, wrapping gifts, and holiday parties with family. Now Christmas is more of a quiet time.

During the divorce my ex-husband and I agreed that Christmas would be his holiday to spend extended time with our son. I support that. Honestly, I am grateful that my son and my ex-husband have that time to connect with one another and share some quality time together. However, I won’t deny that I miss all the holiday fun and family togetherness. I miss what used to go into making Christmas such a special time.

So now, rather than pull out the decorations and spend time baking and cooking, I am starting a new holiday ritual; clearing my plate and making room for my dessert.

I have spent some time feeling crappy, throwing myself a little pity party where I did the “Oh woe is me, I am alone during Christmas” boogie. Since I am getting that heap of stuff off my plate, I can now focus on the following:

- Taking stock of all that I have that I am grateful for, and that is A LOT!

- Getting really clear on anything that I am tolerating and make a plan for removing those tolerations. (Over the weekend, I bought a bookshelf and cleared the books from the floor. What a difference that made!)

- Recharging my battery and pampering myself. (That also began with a pedicure and manicure.)

- Do an intention check-in, making sure that I am clear on the actions I need to take to keep up the forward momentum.

So here’s to making room for that yummy dessert. What will you clear off your plate to make room?