Newport / Costa Mesa / Irvine : COSTA MESA : Seminar Will Offer Tips on Avoiding Holiday Blues

Those who frequently get the blues around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays can seek help at a seminar next week at Orange Coast College.

Eileen Klein, a marriage and family therapist in Cypress, will give tips on how to cope with sadness brought on by the holidays.

“The biggest thing is attitude adjustment,” she said. “If you’re thinking ‘humbug’ and that everything is costing a lot of money, then decide what your priorities are going to be. Create your holiday around what you value.”

If you value family, then that’s what you need to focus on, Klein said.

“The money and the gifts aren’t important,” she added. “It’s just enjoying each other’s company, whether its decorating the tree or drinking hot cocoa.”

Klein, who conducts this seminar annually, said many people tend to get depressed around a holiday because it brings back memories of things that cannot be re-created.

“It’s a time when people go back to their childhoods and remember being together as a family,” she said. “And what they want to do is recapture the cooking, the certain smells and flavors, but sometimes it’s just not there. The kids have grown up and moved away and you find yourself all alone.”

If you fall into this category, Klein suggests breaking the mold and doing something different. Invite friends over who are also alone--or have an open house.

“The important thing is to change the routine that has made you sad every year,” she said.

The class will be held Dec. 1 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on campus. Information: Nicolette Jackson, director of the college Re-entry Center, at (714) 432-5162.