[Holiday Voices] What I'm Doing Different This Year With Jaree Williams

This episode is part of Holiday Voices—a special Real Happy Mom podcast series filled with quick holiday tips, uplifting stories, and real-life traditions from moms who get it.

Whether you're a working mom trying to simplify the season, or just looking for ways to reduce holiday stress and be more present, these short episodes are packed with encouragement and ideas you can actually use.

Find all the episodes, links to guest freebies, and more at realhappymom.com/voices

Transcript

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You are tuned in to The Real Happy Mom podcast. I'm Toni-Ann, and this is Holiday Voices. This is a special series where moms share quick tips and meaningful moments to help you trade chaos for calm and make this season a little more like you. So let's jump into today's voice. Hi, I'm Jaree Williams, the founder of Navigating Postpartum Wellness Media, and the host of Navigating Postpartum Wellness podcast This holiday season, one thing I'm doing differently to reduce stress and add more joy is creating my own traditions and letting go of the pressure to do what everyone else is doing. Yes. We all want to make the holiday special for our families, but I've learned that burning yourself out in the process isn't worth it. You finally get to the big moment and you're way too exhausted to enjoy it. So my tip is simple. Ask yourself what truly matters to you this year. Look ahead, decide what feels right and release the rest. If you want to do it, go for it. If not, that's okay. There's always another time. I remember one year my husband and I traveled outta town for the holidays with a 2-year-old and an infant. We arrived two days early before the holiday. But the day of the holiday, the kids were overstimulating outta their routine. We were staying with my mom. She had a house that had no kid filling things in there. It was a bunch of glass, a bunch of decor. So we were all on eggshells, like, Hey, don't touch that. Don't do this if you know, you know? So we decided to pack up and leave early, right? So instead of forcing day the go plan, we packed up. And we headed out and we didn't just head out. We could have went straight home, but we decided to do something special. We stopped at the only place Open Waffle House. And you know what? It turned out to be one of the best holiday memories. Ever. That moment reminded me that we get to choose what our holidays look like. We don't have to perform for anyone. We just have to be present, grateful, and at peace with what's right for our family. Even if it means sitting at home in your pajamas, having a movie night under the Christmas tree, or going to have a simple meal for Thanksgiving. It just depends on what you want to do. So this year I'm choosing joy over pressure and I hope you give yourself permission to do the same. Thanks for listening. That's it for this one. It is short, sweet, and straight from the heart. And if you're loving the series, make sure you follow the show or subscribe so that you don't miss what's coming next. I'll be back again tomorrow with another one of these holiday voices. Until then, take care and with thoughts of love.