Reflecting on the Holidays

The holiday meals have been eaten. The gifts have been opened (and, in some cases, already returned or exchanged). The decorations have been taken down (or will be soon, we promise ourselves). Most of us are ready for a new beginning, a clean slate to begin focusing on our resolutions or on our word of the year. 

But before you jump ahead to the next thing in your life, we urge you to pause and reflect on your holiday experience. Research published by Harvard Business School reveals that we learn most from our experiences when we take the time to reflect.

When we intentionally attempt to synthesize, abstract, and articulate key lessons taught by experience, the experience itself becomes more productive and we feel more confident in our ability to achieve a goal or do better next time. 

In other words, dedicating time to reflect on this year’s holiday experience will likely improve next year’s holiday. 

Take a few minutes now to reflect on the following questions. Your future self will thank you.

• What went well this holiday season?
• What holiday experiences were energizing?
• What holiday experiences were draining?
• Who or what surprised you most?
• With the knowledge you have now, what would you have done differently?

Share Your Reflections

We would love to learn from you! Let us know what went well in your efforts to simplify the holidays and what could have been improved. New Dream develops our new holiday resources every year based on your feedback, so please share your reflections below.

And, if you know you’ll need a reminder of what you’ve learned as the 2018 holidays approach, we would be more than happy to forward your reflections right back to you next fall. Just indicate below that you would like this reminder, and we would be more than happy to help!