Every year, I feel unprepared for Christmas

I feel like I'm not prepared for Christmas every year, and I know it’s because I always set such high expectations.

I always try to make the holidays ideal, but I feel like it's impossible to do so.

I set such high expectations for myself that it's hard to meet them every time.

And what are these high expectations?

Just a little something called perfection.

But not a perfectly checked-off list of what constitutes a great Christmas, oh no. I’m too smart to realise that won’t satisfy the psychic needs.

But I’m not smart enough to realise that having an expectation of bliss is not achievable or sustainable. Because it’s nebulous, a moving target.

Now that I've looked into why this happens, though, I can finally find some peace with my situation.

What’s bliss today is not bliss tomorrow.

That elusive Perfect Christmas is a platonic ideal that remains ever in the future, always beyond grasp. Looking forward to perfection is a recipe for dissatisfaction.

Looking back in gratitude is a path to peace and happiness.

Ultimately, it’s less important whether I’m looking forward to the future or looking backward to the past.

What’s essential is that I look in gratitude.