Letting Go of The Christmas Rush

It’s December, time for the holiday fun.  I love this time of year, I really do.  The music, the food, the cheer…it’s intoxicating.

But as I sit here writing this, my son’s empty Advent Calendar sits next to me, mocking me.  It’s one small symbol to remind myself that I don’t have it all together. I know I need to fill it up, but I just haven’t yet.

I know I should be buying presents, but haven’t done that either.

I should be deciding when we should bake cookies for out neighbors and teachers, but I haven’t yet.

I know I should be purchasing tickets for some awesome Holiday event…but I don’t even know what events are happening.  By the time I get around to it, they will be sold out.

I should be looking for, or better yet, making  this year’s ornament for our tree so that my kids have one for every year.  But out of the 4 Christmases my son has had, I only have 2 ornaments for him…I’m already behind.

I want to make great Holiday experiences for my kids and establish Holiday traditions for our family, but I feel like a slacker when it comes to the holidays.

The worst part of it is that I feel guilty for not caring more, not doing enough, and I feel like I’m letting down my family.

Why on earth do I feel this way?  It’s crazy!

When I look back on my childhood, Christmas was magical.  The food was fantastic, the presents were great, and the days leading up to the big day were filled with excitement and joy.

All I want is to give that same joy to my boys.

I feel like I’m stuck when it comes to Christmas.  I want it to be wonderful, but I feel like there is just so much to do and I can’t live up to the hype.

You see, the weight of Christmas holds me down.

All the hustle and bustle of things I “should do” keep me from doing the things I want to do.

But you know what I realized today?

None of that stuff up there matters.

You know what does matter?  Family and celebrating the true meaning of Christmas.

This year, I’m letting it go.

I’m letting go of the stress, the “shoulds” and the “have tos”.

This year, I’m only doing what I WANT to do.

I will be okay with doing the bare minimum because I’ll be happier…and my kids need a happy Mom..

So, I’m NOT going to stress about doing it all.

Christmas will be perfect because we will fill our home with love and joy.

We won’t be attending every single holiday event out there.

We won’t be running from store to store looking for the perfect gift…hello Amazon!

We won’t be making every single treat from scratch.

We won’t be doing involved Christmas activities every day of the month.

Instead, we will be taking it slow and picking and choosing what our family will experience.

This year, we will slow down and enjoy this magical season with my kids.

My New Christmas Plan:

1. We will do, at most, one big activity a week – Big activities include visiting Santa, going to see Christmas lights, and attending Christmas parties.

2. We will do one thing nice for someone else each week. – We will give to the Angel Tree, give cookies to teachers and community helpers, or put money in the Salvation Army bucket.

3. We will make no more than one thing a week. – We will create one small craft or bake something in the kitchen once a week…max.

4. Each week we will do a few small family things at home – We will read Christmas books, watch a Christmas movie, wrap presents, roast marshmallows and eat smores.   We will have lots of family time.

5.  One day out the month we will go shopping for our family.  My boys will help buy presents for their cousins, for each other, and for my husband and I.  We will do this a family and have one day of shopping.  The rest of the shopping will happen online.

And that’s it.  There is no Elf on the Shelf, no daily craft, no endless baking, no running around to every event.  It will be slow…and it will be about family.

It is still quite a full month, but if we don’t do everything on our list this year, so be it.  I will not let the weight of Christmas get me down.

I will enjoy this time of year with my boys.

How about you?

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