Three reasons why getting a massage should be on every Mom’s Holiday to-do list.
While we all enjoy the holidays because we get to spend time with families, go to festive parties, and buy gifts for our loved ones, the holidays in Alaska also means harsh unpredictable weather and scary driving conditions. Every year my mom’s daily commute to work worries everyone in the family as she avoids near accidents again and again. In addition to battling the roads through the winter and dealing with minimal daylight and freezing temperatures, my mom typically handles the holiday preparations for my whole family.
One year I watched as my mom hosted a particularly large family Christmas, becoming so exhausted and stressed out that by the time Christmas actually rolled around, she didn’t enjoy the time she had organized to spend with her loved ones. After that, I went to my dad and told him that it was time for a change. Mom being this stressed out around the holidays is not healthy and takes away from spending time with family. We both agreed that she needed an outlet around the holidays where she wouldn’t have to worry, something that would make her feel good and refreshed. It was then that we decided to begin an annual pre-holiday present for my mom in the form of three sixty-minute massages at her favorite massage center in Eagle River. We decided that this was the best possible gift for her because of three main reasons:
- You need to be relaxed to be a good party guest or host. When my mom gets over tired from working and holiday planning, she begins to get stressed out and once that happens nothing is as productive as it could be. Being over tired and stressed out makes anyone a bad party guest or host. You need to be fresh and ready to help spread the holiday cheer, either at your house or friends. Some massage therapy will help my mom relax so that throwing a big Christmas party isn’t a daunting task.
- A hot stone massage, on a nice warm massage table will melt away all your last minute holiday shopping worries. The one thing my mom raves the most about when she does get a massage is how she always leaves feeling warm- which can be hard to come by in the middle of an Alaskan winter. She loves the hot stones that her massage therapist occasionally uses, and she cherishes the moment when she climbs onto the massage table and the table is always toasty warm and cozy.
- Pain relief is important for those long shopping days and late nights wrapping presents. My mom works long hours on her feet and in an office chair. From her full time job to being a landlord and working in her art studio, she is always on the go; she never gives her body enough rest. When she gets over tired and her back begins to hurt, everything she is doing seems to get harder and more annoying. So we know that a good massage to relieve some of that pain will only help her as she continues this year’s holiday preparations.
Check back next week to find out how my chiropractor’s preventative treatments saved me from an expensive surgery.
