Title: How to Stay Connected & Calm During the Holiday Season
Podcast: The Extraordinary Purpose Podcast
Hosts: Chris Adang and Erin Verdis
Episode Type: Conversation
Topic: Family connection, holiday rituals, emotional wellness, parenting teens and young adults
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[INTRO]
Chris Adang: Welcome to the Extraordinary Purpose Podcast. I'm Chris Adang, and with me as always, sitting directly across from me looking absolutely beautiful, is the captivating Erin Verdis.
Erin Verdis: Captivating. I like that one. How do you come up with these every week?
Chris Adang: I actually thought of it during my walk with Koa this morning. It just popped into my mind.
Erin Verdis: You keep me on my toes. I’m always anxious and excited to hear what you’re going to say.
Chris Adang: How’s everyone doing? Hope everybody is doing extremely well. We're doing good, and we're excited to be here today.
Erin Verdis: Absolutely. We’re not so thrilled that the holidays and the end of the year are right around the corner.
Chris Adang: It's crazy. I was wrapping up with some young adult clients yesterday, and we were talking about our next session… then realized our next session is the first week of December. We both said, “What is going on here?”
Erin Verdis: Thanksgiving is next week. This year has gone extremely fast.
Chris Adang: It really has. And I think as parents, that’s one of the hardest things—just watching time fly by. It feels like it vanishes.
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[HOLIDAYS ARRIVING QUICKLY]
Erin Verdis: I was Christmas shopping the other day, and it’s interesting how—when you get older—the years blend together, but the holidays still arrive like a surprise. Suddenly it's here again and you tell yourself, “Okay, this is going to be the best holiday ever,” which gets harder and harder.
Chris Adang: It does. But I still love this time of year.
Erin Verdis: Me too. And I’m excited for Thanksgiving. We're staying low key this year—just us and the kids.
Chris Adang: Low key is my favorite word. Actually, it’s the kids’ favorite word, too.
Erin Verdis: It is. But staying home really is nice. When I was little, our holidays were spent traveling all day. As a kid, I always wished we could just stay home, play with our presents, and spend time together.
Chris Adang: And this year, we're staying home. Stores are closed. Kids are locked in with us for six to eight hours at least.
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[TODAY’S TOPIC: STAYING CONNECTED & PREPARING FOR THE HOLIDAYS]
Erin Verdis: Which brings us to today’s topic: staying connected and preparing for the holidays. This includes staying connected to yourself, your partner, and your kids—and understanding how family dynamics shift as children get older.
Chris Adang: This is a topic that’s really close to your heart.
Erin Verdis: It is. Especially for moms, we can feel nostalgic or even a sense of grieving. Last year, I remember walking through the toy aisle and suddenly realizing: no more Legos, no more puzzles. That phase was over.
Chris Adang: And that can feel like a loss of connection.
Erin Verdis: Exactly. As kids get older, they pull away. They want to be with friends more. They don’t always want to decorate or pick out the tree. It can feel hurtful, especially during the holidays.
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[REFRAMING HOLIDAY CHANGES]
Erin Verdis: So first, give yourself permission to grieve. Take a hot bath, listen to Christmas music, and cry if you need to. But then reframe it. It’s not losing the holidays—it’s redefining them. We all evolve.
Chris Adang: I’m nostalgic too. I remember family gatherings, board games, driving around looking at Christmas lights. Those were the experiences that stayed with me. It wasn’t the big things—it was the connection.
Erin Verdis: And our kids will come around again someday. They will share these same traditions with their partners or kids. It’s cyclical.
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[INVOLVING TEENS & YOUNG ADULTS IN NEW WAYS]
Erin Verdis: Something that helps is asking your kids what they want to do now. There can be non-negotiable traditions, but also new ones. My daughter Skylar is planning a Secret Santa party with friends, and I get to help her prepare. That’s connection.
Chris Adang: A client of mine does a yearly Friendsgiving with brisket at her house. Her friends come over, and her dad cooks. Another great example of connection evolving.
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[PRESENCE, PEACE, AND INTENTION]
Chris Adang: We’re having this conversation now—before things get too busy—because there is still time to prepare intentionally. This might be your moment to slow down. To breathe. To come back to yourself.
Erin Verdis: We work with parents every day who feel overwhelmed. The first step to moving forward is slowing down. Checking in with yourself. Noticing when you're being pulled in a million directions.
Chris Adang: You can’t make meaningful experiences happen if you’re not grounded. If you want a great holiday season, you have to be your best. You can’t be dragging and depleted.
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[HANDLING HOLIDAY CHAOS]
Erin Verdis: Holiday chaos is real. But what makes it more manageable is presence. Small moments. Morning routines. Hot baths. Nature walks. Anything that reconnects you to yourself.
Chris Adang: I talk about this 10 or 15 times a day: If you want to move forward, you have to feel good. And that means following through on the things that matter most.
Erin Verdis: We also have to learn to say no. When you're sitting on the fence about everything, you stay stressed. Making decisions—taking action—creates peace.
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[PLANNING AHEAD TO REDUCE STRESS]
Erin Verdis: So over the next week, sit down and get clarity. Which events matter? Which don’t? What do you want to buy tickets for? What do you want to experience as a couple? As a family?
Chris Adang: And what do you want your kids to experience? How can you involve them in choosing? Planning ahead removes so much pressure.
Erin Verdis: This season is about quality over quantity. A 30-minute dinner or 20-minute board game fills my heart more than expecting hours of forced togetherness.
Chris Adang: Those small moments are everything.
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[VISUALIZATION & TAKING ACTION]
Erin Verdis: Take ten minutes. Visualize the holiday season you want. Feel what you want it to feel like. Then decide: What rituals, plans, and boundaries will help create that?
Chris Adang: And then take action. Write things down. Make a plan. Don't sit on your ideas. Follow through.
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[WRAPPING UP]
Erin Verdis: Sit down with your kids. Ask what traditions they want this year. Ask what they’d love to do with friends that you can help support. Let yourself be part of their world in new ways.
Chris Adang: Most importantly—get excited. It’s going to be an amazing holiday season. Once you have clarity, and once you take action, everything starts to line up.
Erin Verdis: And one more thing—we are having an incredible Black Friday special in our coaching program for parents, teens, and young adults. Visit myextraordinarypurpose.com to see the details.
Chris Adang: Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
Erin Verdis: Happy Thanksgiving. We’ll see you next episode.
Chris Adang: Take care.
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END OF TRANSCRIPT
