Hear Your Best Through the Holiday Cheer
It is officially the most wonderful time of the year! December is here, which means calendars are filling up with family reunions, office parties, and dinners with old friends.
But for those of us with hearing loss, these festive gatherings can bring a specific type of anxiety. You might be excited to see everyone, but you’re dreading the "clatter". The clinking silverware, the background music, and the roar of ten different conversations happening at once can drain you mentally and quickly ruin a fun time.
This is often the number one complaint we hear at Dennison Hearing Solutions: "I can hear fine at home, but as soon as I walk into a restaurant or a party, I’m lost."
The good news is that you don’t have to stay home. With a little strategy and today’s hearing technology, you can navigate the holiday noise and actually enjoy the conversation. Here are 5 tips to help you stay connected this season.
1. Be Strategic About Seating
Location is everything. If you are dining out or attending a seated dinner, try to arrive a little early so you can choose your spot.
The "Wall" Strategy: Try to sit with your back to a wall or a high booth. This blocks noise from behind you and forces the sound of the conversation to come from the front.
Avoid the "Noise Zones": Steer clear of seats near the kitchen door, the bar, or directly under a speaker playing music.
Round Tables are Best: If you have a choice, a round table allows you to see everyone’s face, whereas a long rectangular table often limits you to talking only to the person right next to you.
2. Let There Be Light
We hear with our eyes more than we realize. Visual cues and lip-reading fill in the gaps when our ears miss a consonant or a word. In dimly lit restaurants or candle-lit holiday parties, you lose those visual cues.
Don’t be afraid to ask to be seated in a well-lit area.
If you are at a party, try to position yourself so the light is falling on the face of the person you are talking to, rather than having the light behind them (which puts their face in shadow).
4. Advocate for Your Needs (Ideally Before Dinner Starts)
It can feel awkward to make requests, but your friends and family want you to be part of the fun. They would much rather move to a quieter table than have you sit in silence.
The "Music" Request: If you are at a restaurant and the music is overwhelming, politely ask the staff if it can be turned down slightly. You’d be surprised how often they say yes—usually, other patrons are relieved, too!
The "One-on-One" Tactic: If a room is simply too loud, grab a drink and ask a friend, "Hey, I'm having trouble hearing you in here, want to step into the hallway/foyer for a minute to catch up?"
5. Take "Brain Breaks"
Listening in noise is physically exhausting. Your brain has to work overtime to separate speech from noise, which leads to "listening fatigue."
If you feel yourself zoning out or getting irritable, give yourself permission to step away. Go to the restroom or step outside for 5 minutes of quiet.
Resetting your ears and your brain can give you the energy you need to jump back into the festivities.
We Are Here to Help
If you are worried about your hearing in these tough environments, now is the time to come see us. If you have hearing aids (from Dennison Hearing Solutions, or anywhere else), We can clean your them, change your wax guards, and fine-tune your settings to make sure you are ready for the holidays. If you haven’t made the leap to hearing aids yet and have just been toughing it out, it may be time. You might be the one wearing them, but they truly are a gift to your friends and family that want you to hear them.