00:00:00.557 --> 00:00:05.297
Kevin Lowe: It's the most wonderful time of the year. Well, that's at least what they keep
00:00:05.297 --> 00:00:07.837
Kevin Lowe: telling us. The Hallmark movies are playing.
00:00:08.077 --> 00:00:11.577
Kevin Lowe: You've got your friends inviting you over to bake some Christmas cookies.
00:00:12.097 --> 00:00:13.977
Kevin Lowe: Everybody's talking about Christmas
00:00:13.977 --> 00:00:20.817
Kevin Lowe: time. And you, you're thinking to yourself, OMG, when will it end?
00:00:20.977 --> 00:00:26.117
Kevin Lowe: Because you, my friend, are maybe feeling not so joyful, not so cheerful.
00:00:26.357 --> 00:00:31.577
Kevin Lowe: It's not because you don't enjoy Christmas. It's not because you don't want
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Kevin Lowe: to celebrate Christmas.
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Kevin Lowe: It's because the year's been rough.
00:00:35.117 --> 00:00:39.157
Kevin Lowe: Maybe you've gone through some stuff. Maybe finances aren't so great.
00:00:39.557 --> 00:00:42.397
Kevin Lowe: Christmas just isn't looking like it used to.
00:00:42.777 --> 00:00:48.677
Kevin Lowe: And it's been hitting hard. It's been making it really difficult to get into the Christmas spirit.
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Kevin Lowe: Well, my friend, we're only a week away from Christmas, and I wanted to help you out.
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Kevin Lowe: So if you're somebody who's been struggling, who's been really wishing that
00:00:58.797 --> 00:01:03.737
Kevin Lowe: you could just sleep through Christmas, really hoping that December would just
00:01:03.737 --> 00:01:06.917
Kevin Lowe: end, well, my friend, this is for you.
00:01:07.117 --> 00:01:13.657
Kevin Lowe: I've got you three strategies to try to help make Christmas a little bit easier, a little bit better.
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Kevin Lowe: And hopefully, if I do my job well enough, maybe it can just turn things around.
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Kevin Lowe: So if you're up for a perspective shift, three strategies to help you turn this
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Kevin Lowe: Christmas around for the good, well, my friend, you're in the right place.
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Kevin Lowe: This is episode 424 of the podcast Grit, Grace and Inspiration.
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Kevin Lowe: And I'm your host, Kevin Lowe. So, my friend, if you're ready for it, so am I.
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Kevin Lowe: So let's go ahead and dive in. Yeah, I got.
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Kevin Lowe: So diving right into our three strategies, we're starting with strategy number one.
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Kevin Lowe: And that is, I want you to think about doing something different this year.
00:02:03.407 --> 00:02:06.927
Kevin Lowe: Maybe in the past, Christmas Eve has always looked the same.
00:02:07.367 --> 00:02:11.687
Kevin Lowe: You guys do dinner out with the family. Maybe you go to a Christmas Eve church service.
00:02:11.967 --> 00:02:16.507
Kevin Lowe: And then maybe you end the night by everybody riding around looking at the Christmas
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Kevin Lowe: lights. It's something you've always done.
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Kevin Lowe: But now, this year, life looks different.
00:02:24.007 --> 00:02:30.347
Kevin Lowe: Maybe it was from divorce, maybe loss. Something happened that has changed things,
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Kevin Lowe: where it has Christmas looking different than it has in the past.
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Kevin Lowe: Well, my friend, this is a perfect opportunity for you to enter into a new season
00:02:41.327 --> 00:02:43.687
Kevin Lowe: of life, a new chapter of life.
00:02:44.127 --> 00:02:47.607
Kevin Lowe: Because traditions are great until they're not.
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Kevin Lowe: When a tradition no longer serves you, no longer brings you joy,
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Kevin Lowe: then it's time to adopt something new.
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Kevin Lowe: So I'm giving you the encouragement, the permission to do something different.
00:03:01.627 --> 00:03:06.947
Kevin Lowe: If you've always done one thing that was related to your past life.
00:03:07.862 --> 00:03:12.022
Kevin Lowe: Well, you're a different person now, and it's okay to try something new.
00:03:12.222 --> 00:03:16.562
Kevin Lowe: So I encourage you, whether it's Christmas Eve or Christmas Day,
00:03:16.942 --> 00:03:21.822
Kevin Lowe: whether it's New Year's Eve or New Year's Day, to try something new.
00:03:22.102 --> 00:03:26.722
Kevin Lowe: Instead of going around and looking at Christmas lights, what about seeing what
00:03:26.722 --> 00:03:28.322
Kevin Lowe: movie is playing at the movie theater?
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Kevin Lowe: And go get yourself a nice big large popcorn, a nice big soda,
00:03:34.442 --> 00:03:40.342
Kevin Lowe: and just veg out, pig out while enjoying a fun movie for Christmas Eve.
00:03:40.742 --> 00:03:45.322
Kevin Lowe: Do something different. That's what I'm encouraging you to do.
00:03:45.662 --> 00:03:53.442
Kevin Lowe: Now, in with that, like I said, maybe it's not a fact of life looking different
00:03:53.442 --> 00:03:56.142
Kevin Lowe: because of loss or a divorce.
00:03:56.742 --> 00:04:00.822
Kevin Lowe: But maybe finances are just tough this year. Well, my friend,
00:04:01.382 --> 00:04:03.602
Kevin Lowe: maybe you're all adults.
00:04:04.182 --> 00:04:10.282
Kevin Lowe: It's a situation in my family where this year, honestly, we've came to the reality.
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Kevin Lowe: What do we tend to do at Christmas?
00:04:12.682 --> 00:04:17.302
Kevin Lowe: We spend a bunch of money we don't have on a bunch of gifts that,
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Kevin Lowe: yeah, they're nice to receive.
00:04:19.822 --> 00:04:23.682
Kevin Lowe: It's nice to give, but is it really necessary?
00:04:24.262 --> 00:04:29.102
Kevin Lowe: And instead, we've decided that we're just going to go out for dinner.
00:04:29.502 --> 00:04:34.342
Kevin Lowe: That's going to be our Christmas gift to one another. So we've chosen one of
00:04:34.342 --> 00:04:39.142
Kevin Lowe: our favorite restaurants, somewhere we only go to on those special occasions.
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Kevin Lowe: We made dinner reservations.
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Kevin Lowe: That's going to be our Christmas gift to one another. Is it like it used to be? No, not at all.
00:04:49.662 --> 00:04:54.162
Kevin Lowe: Has it made Christmas a little less stressful, a little less expensive?
00:04:55.422 --> 00:04:57.942
Kevin Lowe: 100%. And that is a win.
00:04:58.680 --> 00:05:05.360
Kevin Lowe: Now, one thing that I want to encourage you not to do is a lot of people put
00:05:05.360 --> 00:05:11.640
Kevin Lowe: too much weight on this idea because they look at it like they have to create a new tradition.
00:05:11.800 --> 00:05:15.760
Kevin Lowe: We want to do something different with the family. We want to start a new tradition.
00:05:16.160 --> 00:05:22.040
Kevin Lowe: That puts way too much weight, way too much pressure on trying something new.
00:05:22.320 --> 00:05:27.460
Kevin Lowe: So my friend, I don't want you to try something new thinking that this is going
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Kevin Lowe: to be the thing that you do from here on out.
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Kevin Lowe: No, that's just defeating the purpose. I'm trying to take the stress off of you.
00:05:36.140 --> 00:05:40.680
Kevin Lowe: I want you to just try something new because it sounds good.
00:05:40.940 --> 00:05:46.380
Kevin Lowe: Not because it might become a family tradition, but because it just sounds good this year.
00:05:46.760 --> 00:05:50.920
Kevin Lowe: Maybe next Christmas, you do something different. The Christmas after that,
00:05:51.260 --> 00:05:56.420
Kevin Lowe: yet again, you do something different. There is no reason you have to stay stuck
00:05:56.420 --> 00:05:59.540
Kevin Lowe: in a rut doing the same thing year after year.
00:05:59.920 --> 00:06:05.840
Kevin Lowe: So again, to summarize strategy number one, simply do something different.
00:06:05.840 --> 00:06:08.020
Kevin Lowe: It's okay to break the mold.
00:06:08.220 --> 00:06:12.740
Kevin Lowe: It's okay to not follow in pursuit of your past traditions.
00:06:13.320 --> 00:06:17.120
Kevin Lowe: I am giving you the permission to do something different.
00:06:17.980 --> 00:06:23.800
Kevin Lowe: Strategy number two, my friend, do not do the holidays alone.
00:06:24.160 --> 00:06:30.180
Kevin Lowe: Because I know one thing that you're thinking. If you're already thinking to
00:06:30.180 --> 00:06:35.720
Kevin Lowe: yourself that you'd rather sleep away the holiday, that you wish you could just
00:06:35.720 --> 00:06:37.400
Kevin Lowe: blink and it'd all be over with,
00:06:38.101 --> 00:06:44.541
Kevin Lowe: And in that mindset, I guarantee you one thing is true, is that you're thinking
00:06:44.541 --> 00:06:47.441
Kevin Lowe: you don't want to go to that Christmas party.
00:06:47.681 --> 00:06:50.521
Kevin Lowe: You don't want to go to your family's Christmas dinner.
00:06:51.261 --> 00:06:55.061
Kevin Lowe: And you're going to have a tendency to just want to stay home,
00:06:55.361 --> 00:06:58.881
Kevin Lowe: lying in bed in your PJs, sleeping the day away.
00:06:59.101 --> 00:07:03.021
Kevin Lowe: My friend, there is a time and place for that.
00:07:03.861 --> 00:07:08.221
Kevin Lowe: Christmas Day, New Year's Day, Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve,
00:07:08.501 --> 00:07:15.041
Kevin Lowe: the holidays are not a time for you being alone, especially if you're struggling.
00:07:15.461 --> 00:07:22.441
Kevin Lowe: If you are sad, if you're depressed, if you're just kind of struggling,
00:07:22.821 --> 00:07:26.821
Kevin Lowe: being alone is the worst possible thing that you could do.
00:07:26.961 --> 00:07:34.461
Kevin Lowe: I'm going to encourage you, urge you with everything I have to not be alone on the holidays.
00:07:35.221 --> 00:07:40.861
Kevin Lowe: Whether it's going to your family's dinner or it's simply you just calling up
00:07:40.861 --> 00:07:46.101
Kevin Lowe: your best friend and having them come over and hang out to sit with you.
00:07:46.441 --> 00:07:51.761
Kevin Lowe: I want you to be with somebody. I don't want you to go through the holidays alone.
00:07:52.381 --> 00:07:57.581
Kevin Lowe: Again, you're gonna have this tendency. You're gonna want to retreat,
00:07:57.981 --> 00:08:00.561
Kevin Lowe: to draw in, to close out the world.
00:08:01.281 --> 00:08:07.341
Kevin Lowe: But my friend, please listen to me when I say we are not meant to do life alone.
00:08:07.381 --> 00:08:10.921
Kevin Lowe: And we're definitely not meant to do the holidays alone.
00:08:11.421 --> 00:08:16.541
Kevin Lowe: And here's the really cool thing. Even though this Christmas might not look
00:08:16.541 --> 00:08:22.461
Kevin Lowe: like you hoped, maybe those dreams of what it would be didn't pan out.
00:08:23.310 --> 00:08:28.490
Kevin Lowe: It doesn't mean that it still can't be great. All you need is you and one other person to have a party.
00:08:28.810 --> 00:08:36.130
Kevin Lowe: Just the two of you can make it amazing. The two of you can go out for a movie on Christmas Eve.
00:08:36.530 --> 00:08:40.970
Kevin Lowe: Just the two of you can enjoy Christmas morning cooking at home.
00:08:41.230 --> 00:08:43.350
Kevin Lowe: It doesn't have to be a big thing.
00:08:43.890 --> 00:08:50.130
Kevin Lowe: So again, I'm encouraging you. Strategy number two for surviving the holidays
00:08:50.130 --> 00:08:55.530
Kevin Lowe: and more so maybe making them more enjoyable than you thought they would be,
00:08:55.770 --> 00:09:01.230
Kevin Lowe: I want you to be with people you love, people who have your best interest in mind.
00:09:01.490 --> 00:09:05.370
Kevin Lowe: Be with the friends, the family who are always there for you.
00:09:05.470 --> 00:09:08.910
Kevin Lowe: Do not retreat. Do not stay in your bed.
00:09:09.390 --> 00:09:14.770
Kevin Lowe: Please listen to me when I tell you that is not what you want to do.
00:09:14.770 --> 00:09:18.210
Kevin Lowe: And then strategy number three.
00:09:19.430 --> 00:09:23.990
Kevin Lowe: My friend, it's about getting real, raw, honest, vulnerable.
00:09:24.230 --> 00:09:28.350
Kevin Lowe: It's about feeling the feels, getting your emotions flowing.
00:09:28.770 --> 00:09:34.350
Kevin Lowe: I'm telling you, this is not the time of year to have that whole attitude,
00:09:34.350 --> 00:09:38.030
Kevin Lowe: the mindset of suck it up. Don't cry.
00:09:38.270 --> 00:09:40.310
Kevin Lowe: Don't let anybody know that you're upset.
00:09:40.630 --> 00:09:45.930
Kevin Lowe: No, this is a time of year when you're struggling and it's okay.
00:09:45.930 --> 00:09:50.850
Kevin Lowe: Hey, I want you to give yourself permission to feel the feels.
00:09:51.190 --> 00:09:57.270
Kevin Lowe: It's okay that you're not so joyful. It's okay that you're not happy.
00:09:57.590 --> 00:10:00.230
Kevin Lowe: It's okay that you're finding it hard to smile.
00:10:00.850 --> 00:10:05.290
Kevin Lowe: You've been through some stuff. It's why you're listening to this podcast episode
00:10:05.290 --> 00:10:07.290
Kevin Lowe: is because something resonated.
00:10:07.550 --> 00:10:13.190
Kevin Lowe: Something said, hey, you know what? This is for me. I need to listen to this.
00:10:13.870 --> 00:10:17.390
Kevin Lowe: So therefore, I don't want you to beat yourself up.
00:10:17.570 --> 00:10:21.910
Kevin Lowe: I want you to understand that it's okay to not be okay.
00:10:22.850 --> 00:10:29.350
Kevin Lowe: So basically, I want you to remember this. If you cry, it doesn't undo healing.
00:10:29.870 --> 00:10:35.050
Kevin Lowe: If you're tired, it doesn't undo all that you've been working on.
00:10:35.210 --> 00:10:37.630
Kevin Lowe: It doesn't undo all the progress you've made.
00:10:38.470 --> 00:10:45.750
Kevin Lowe: And if joy just doesn't seem to come, it doesn't mean that there's something wrong with you.
00:10:45.910 --> 00:10:50.810
Kevin Lowe: It doesn't mean that you have forgotten about Christmas.
00:10:51.190 --> 00:10:54.210
Kevin Lowe: No, you're just in a tough spot right now.
00:10:54.670 --> 00:10:58.830
Kevin Lowe: We've all been there. And I can promise you one thing.
00:10:59.779 --> 00:11:05.299
Kevin Lowe: It's going to get easier. It's going to get better. We just got to get through the holidays.
00:11:05.559 --> 00:11:08.259
Kevin Lowe: You're almost there. You've already gotten through Thanksgiving.
00:11:08.659 --> 00:11:12.479
Kevin Lowe: We're now coming up. Going to get through Christmas and New Year's.
00:11:12.659 --> 00:11:15.959
Kevin Lowe: And then it's a brand new start, a whole new year.
00:11:16.399 --> 00:11:22.399
Kevin Lowe: So my friend, I encourage you to give yourself grace, to just give yourself a break.
00:11:22.579 --> 00:11:28.039
Kevin Lowe: And if you feel like crying, give yourself space and time to cry.
00:11:28.039 --> 00:11:33.619
Kevin Lowe: If you feel like screaming, well, my favorite thing, so that you don't alert
00:11:33.619 --> 00:11:38.159
Kevin Lowe: the neighbors, just scream into your pillow. It works every time.
00:11:38.579 --> 00:11:45.659
Kevin Lowe: Muffles the scream. You get out that same amount of desire to scream,
00:11:45.659 --> 00:11:48.499
Kevin Lowe: and you don't scare anybody in the process.
00:11:48.739 --> 00:11:52.679
Kevin Lowe: I just want you to realize that it's okay to feel how you feel.
00:11:52.959 --> 00:11:58.519
Kevin Lowe: I want you to get through these holidays. And I hope that one of these strategies
00:11:58.519 --> 00:12:00.679
Kevin Lowe: is exactly what you needed to hear.
00:12:01.859 --> 00:12:10.179
Kevin Lowe: So to wrap it up, I want to remind you, this year, I need you to be reminded
00:12:10.179 --> 00:12:11.719
Kevin Lowe: that it's going to be okay.
00:12:12.559 --> 00:12:13.999
Kevin Lowe: Sometimes maybe you just need
00:12:13.999 --> 00:12:17.959
Kevin Lowe: to think about doing things a little bit different, trying something new.
00:12:18.659 --> 00:12:22.399
Kevin Lowe: Then I want you to be sure that you don't do the holidays alone.
00:12:22.399 --> 00:12:26.619
Kevin Lowe: I want you to be sure that you're spending them with at least somebody,
00:12:26.619 --> 00:12:32.799
Kevin Lowe: if not at your family's dinner, have somebody you could count on who's there with you.
00:12:33.492 --> 00:12:38.932
Kevin Lowe: And then, of course, our third tip, our third little strategy was to just give
00:12:38.932 --> 00:12:42.672
Kevin Lowe: yourself permission to feel the feels. It's okay.
00:12:43.452 --> 00:12:49.252
Kevin Lowe: Sometimes when we are so sad, the best thing we can do is to let ourself cry.
00:12:50.412 --> 00:12:56.212
Kevin Lowe: Sometimes just having a really good cry finally just lets it all out.
00:12:56.412 --> 00:13:00.672
Kevin Lowe: It kind of relieves all that pressure that's been building up inside of you.
00:13:00.672 --> 00:13:03.752
Kevin Lowe: Just kind of lets it out and lets you feel free.
00:13:04.112 --> 00:13:11.172
Kevin Lowe: You do all of this, my friend, I hope that maybe the holiday season won't be
00:13:11.172 --> 00:13:12.772
Kevin Lowe: quite as bad as you'd been thinking.
00:13:13.072 --> 00:13:16.552
Kevin Lowe: My friend, I'm going to be taking the next couple of weeks off.
00:13:16.712 --> 00:13:21.392
Kevin Lowe: I'm going to be sharing here on the podcast two of our fan favorite episodes
00:13:21.392 --> 00:13:24.452
Kevin Lowe: from the year that was 2025.
00:13:25.832 --> 00:13:29.792
Kevin Lowe: So maybe you haven't caught all the episodes that have been released this year.
00:13:29.792 --> 00:13:34.332
Kevin Lowe: Well, please be sure that you stay tuned so that you have something good to
00:13:34.332 --> 00:13:37.172
Kevin Lowe: listen to the weeks of Christmas and New Year's.
00:13:37.352 --> 00:13:43.272
Kevin Lowe: And yes, I will be back with fresh new episodes beginning in January,
00:13:43.272 --> 00:13:50.792
Kevin Lowe: all geared up to help you be sure that you make 2026 your breakout year.
00:13:51.592 --> 00:13:57.032
Kevin Lowe: So if you're tired of playing safe, if you're tired of another year passing
00:13:57.032 --> 00:14:01.992
Kevin Lowe: without progress being made, well, baby, this is the podcast for you.
00:14:02.112 --> 00:14:08.132
Kevin Lowe: So please be sure if not already following slash subscribing to the podcast
00:14:08.132 --> 00:14:10.312
Kevin Lowe: on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,
00:14:10.892 --> 00:14:14.792
Kevin Lowe: wherever you're listening, please be sure you hit that button so that you are
00:14:14.792 --> 00:14:19.452
Kevin Lowe: notified every Tuesday morning when a new episode is released.
00:14:19.732 --> 00:14:25.992
Kevin Lowe: And my friend, lastly but not least, I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas
00:14:25.992 --> 00:14:31.632
Kevin Lowe: and a Happy New Year from my podcast studio to your earbuds.
00:14:32.012 --> 00:14:36.272
Kevin Lowe: I'm your host, Kevin Lowe, and this is Grit Grace and Inspiration.