Merry Gigs-mas! 3 Tips to Navigating the Holiday Season as a Musician

It’s December! To some, December represents a time of relaxation, joy, and happiness, but to musicians, it represents something else: the start of a sprint. In the music world, we affectionately title this season ‘Gigs-mas”. Church services, holiday concerts, recitals, and music galore fill this season and it can sometimes be hard to step back and enjoy this season as musicians, so I want to share some tips to help my fellow musicians to stay afloat in December and avoid burnout and all that comes with that.

Tip 1: Find Time for Other Traditions

Music is so meaningful for so many people and they have traditions surrounding it whether it be going Christmas caroling or seeing The Nutcracker with family, but sometimes, as musicians, it can be healthy to find traditions that don’t revolve around music. It can help to remove yourself from feeling like an employee of the season whose joy has been stolen by the commercialization of Christmas. I love to decorate my living space with my tree and other festive decorations. I love getting together with my friends and doing a small gift exchange. Anything you can do to put the joy back in the season can lead to helping yourself out in this time of craziness.

Tip 2: Take It All In

It is a privilege to get to make people happy with music for a living. I remind myself of that often, especially when I feel like I’m losing the spark. Getting to play my instrument and seeing a pallet of emotion evoked by what I am doing is a unique and wonderful experience. It is easy to forget this when we are in the midst of doing it every day, but it is truly a privilege to get to do what we do even when it is hard or getting old.

Tip 3: Know When and How to Say No

Please please please respect your own limits. Playing an instrument is a physical and mental feat that cannot be understated. It is hard on your body and mind and only you know your limits. I find myself trying to squeeze as much as possible into my weeks for whatever reason whether it be to feel productive, to avoid saying no, or to bring in revenue, but when I respect my own boundaries and limits, I find myself with so much more energy to give towards the projects I do take on. Saying no can be hard, but it is so important!

Take these tips for what they are worth to you and apply them however you can. December 1st marks the first of my many gigs this season and I know others are in the same boat. Good luck to all my musician friends, have a happy and healthy Gigs-mas, and I’ll see you on the other side!