Do I load up the iTunes with some very special Motown OR loungey Christmas tunes OR Handel’s Messiah?

Do I make sparkly tinsel hats OR reindeer antlers for the cats?

Do I venture to the outer burbs of Brisbane to share a meal with my family OR fly to Sydney to feast with my friends?

Christmas for me is about choices. That last choice has become easier in recent years as my parents have gotten older and I have become more accepting of difference (of the conventional kind).

Actually most of the choices that bring on the headaches at this time of year are much simpler. Life is much simpler and free. I don’t have to believe or adhere to any particular religious doctrine. I feel no need to over-consume. I don’t need to myself into debt by giving material gifts. I don’t need to play happy families.

I can have my own beliefs and values and make the day and the season whatever is important to me.

So whether you choose to celebrate Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Santa Claus, Solstice or None Of The Above, I hope you too have choices in the hot days of December.

This article first appeared in Design Notes, the newsletter of the Work/Life Design Program. You can find out more about Design Notes and the WLD Program at www.worklifedesign.com.au