You're listening to the Allender Center podcast with Dr. Dan Allender.

This week, Dan and his wife Becky launch a new series all about the madness of the holidays.

Dan and Becky talk about the ambivalence of a season that is marked by both goodness and chaos,

wondering how we can better engage the pressure,

expectations, and frenzy that so many of us feel moving towards Christmas.

Well, it is the official beginning of the holiday season. We have passed by Black Friday,

and actually we did a pretty good job, didn't we, Becky,

that we didn't really spend a penny. Therefore, we saved a great deal. No, no holiday shopping at this

point. Well, you did buy me a gift. I did, but I didn't think that really was part of Black Friday, even though we got a percentage

off of that gift. But I'm thinking of like major shopping. Yes, we didn't have to do that this

year, which feels really nice. So we actually did a little outdoor light hanging and got our Christmas tree up. So getting some decorations

in the house and that's been as much preparation that we've done so far. You know, in some ways,

I think we've really come to a point where we barely do the things that we once did for the holidays. Christmas doesn't bear

the same level of freneticism. I guess that's good. The same level, then, of excitement as it once did.

We have older children and their celebration with their children tends to be in their own families.

So it's different, isn't it?

It is different. It's got a sweetness, too.

We don't have to, or I don't have to go all out in the house like I once did and wanted to.

But simplifying our decorations and letting some go and using more fresh things from our yard seems to be better right now.

Well, I think in some ways the holidays have always born.

I'm a therapist, so it's always born a lot of

ambivalence in that this is the season where not only winter arrives, people are getting ill.

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