Your Holiday Permission Slip
These email was born out of what I’ve needed to tell myself so far this month mixed with what I’ve needed to tell my clients. It all started the weekend before last when we did our annual family trip into Manhattan and for the first time ever, we skipped Rockefeller Center and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. We stayed downtown instead, went to The Color Factory (highly recommend), ate Mexican food, played monster at a local playground, got coffees and hot chocolates, saw and heard plenty of Christmas-y things in passing, and avoided crowds like it was an Olympic sport. I thought I’d feel incomplete without the classics, but instead I felt relaxed, relieved, and…proud?! Turns out the holiday magic isn’t in following the script. And let’s be real, AI exists now. I’m sure we can fake a picture in front of the big tree if we really need one.
December can be both beautiful AND heavy for many women -- mentally, emotionally, logistically, physically, hormonally, existentially ... all the “-ally” words. So instead of giving you more pressure, more rules, or more ways to feel behind, here’s what you actually need: a Holiday Permission Slip. Take what you need, leave what you don't.
Permission Slip #1: Permission to rest before you snap at someone who doesn’t deserve it
You don’t need to earn rest. You don’t need to hit 10K steps first. You don’t need to wait until your eye twitches. If your nervous system says “we’re done here,” listen. It’s cheaper than replacing relationships.
Permission Slip #2: Permission to eat the dessert without negotiating peace talks with yourself
Have the cookie. Enjoy the cookie. Don’t immediately give a eulogy for your goals because of said cookie. You are not one peppermint bark away from losing everything you’ve worked for. Your metabolism is not made of glass. Relax.
Permission Slip #3: Permission to say “No” like you mean it
If December has taught us anything, it’s that the phrase “Sure, I can do that” is responsible for 80 percent of women’s burnout. So no, you cannot host again. No, you cannot “just swing by.” No, you cannot bake 48 cupcakes for a fundraiser you heard about 11 seconds ago. If someone needs more explanation than “I can’t,” that is a them problem.
Permission Slip #4: Permission to Forget about the damn elf
We have an elf too. But we tell the kids he's just here to hang with us and flies around every couple of nights for fun like a month-long game of hide n seek. I recommend making sure the kids won't think they were "bad" or anything if the elf doesn't move before doing this but the way this allows us to not freak if he 'forgot' to move feels like a parenting hack everyone needs to know.
Permission Slip #5: Permission to choose the lesser chaos option
You know what counts as a win? Serving breakfast for dinner -- protein pancakes, eggs and some from-frozen potato and carrot hashbrowns. Buying the pre-cut veggies. Wearing the same leggings two days in a row because laundry is a sociopath. Walking around Target alone or with a friend at 8 PM and calling it “your steps.” These are legitimate life choices. Sometimes the healthiest thing you can do is choose the option that feels like a cheat code.
Permission Slip #6: Permission to drop old traditions or start new ones
If it isn’t serving you, you don’t have to carry it just because it’s “what we’ve always done.” Tradition is supposed to enhance your joy, not drain your soul. You are allowed to reinvent things. Shorten things. Skip things. Move things downtown, eat tacos, and completely avoid midtown crowds with zero guilt. Your kids will remember how you felt, your attitude, your joy, not how perfectly you followed the script.
Permission Slip #7: Permission to keep showing up… even if it’s only at 40 percent
You do not need to operate at peak performance to make progress. You do not need perfect days. You do not need a spreadsheet. You do not need monk-discipline. What actually moves the needle is the tiny habits that you never applause. Drinking water. Getting protein at breakfast. Walking for 8 minutes. Closing the kitchen at a reasonable hour. These are still building your 2026 health + body and your January momentum. Do not underestimate your 40 percent. It has range.
Permission Slip #8: Permission to start fresh today instead of waiting for the ball to drop
December 16th is not too late. December 23rd is not too late. December 29th is not too late. Waiting for January is the adult version of saying “I’ll clean my room when I’m older.” Your future self will high-five you for even one decision today that supports your goals. You don’t have to overhaul anything — just align something. The incredible group of ladies in The Metabolic Edge and are starting our brand new workout program THIS WEEK. We're getting strong, building muscle, losing fat and we're doing it in a half hour, a few days a week. Come join us if you need strength programming designed for mid-life women by a mid-life woman that can be done from home or the gym. Do the workouts, use the meal guides and workshops, and stay for the support + community. The more AI stuff I see everywhere, the more grateful I am for this group of amazing women.
A final note for you (yup, you)
You’re doing more than any rational system should expect from a single human. And still, here you are, caring about your health, your energy, your future, your people. You are not behind. You are not failing. You are not starting over. You are continuing — in the middle of a very loud, very messy season — and that makes you unstoppable in January. Print this permission slip. Screenshot it. Tape it inside the cabinet where you hide the holiday chocolate. And remember, grace is allowed. Waiting until January is not required. You’ve got this. I’m with you. The new year is already looking different because you are showing up now.
XO,
Tara
P.S. This one's just for me ... permission to leave permission slip #4 in a different font if you've tried to reformat for 10 minutes and your software doesn't want to cooperate.