And yeah, that’s laundry they’re sitting on. Come on. Who hasn’t sat on clean laundry this week? I think it’s safe to say that everyone is in recovery mode -recovering from Thanksgiving, that is.
How’s your Christmas going? I have a few gifts bought, a few made. Our tree isn’t up because we’re getting a real tree this year (I almost said “real, live” but real Christmas trees are actually “real, dead” and I didn’t want to sound morbid. It isn’t festive). I’ve got the mistletoe hung (I bought it at family dollar), both Nativities up (one for us, one for the kids to mess around with), and I’ve got greenery to start making a few wreaths (dead greenery).
Yes, it’s that wonderful time of year where we all stress out, eat too much, and lie to our children about a fat man with a bag full of gifts he may or may NOT be leaving at our house. Wonderful, isn’t it? Well, yes. It is.
I vow every year to stress less and less, and it’s actually working. Two years ago, I should have liked to curse Christmas. We missed the whole meaning of the season because we were trying SO HARD to make it “good for our kids.” Whadda joke. Last year was a little better, but I was so wrapped up in crafting, teaching preschool, working as a pianist at the school… anyway, Christmas was a little better, but I still ended up vowing that this year it would be LESS STRESSFUL.
So far? So good.
Christmas isn’t about stress anyway. It’s not about a checklist of duties that HAVE to be done because it’s Crimeny Christmas for Crying out Loud. It’s about giving of yourself -whether it’s time or money or a smile… give.
One of my favorite Christmas traditions is passing around plates full of junk to people I love. I LOVE feeding people. Two years ago, we weren’t able to get it done (bah humbug!) so last year we got it done the FIRST weekend in December. I thought about Christmas all year that year… how we had abandoned the true meaning of it, and I was determined to start a fresh last year.
Am I boring you yet? Yes, Alicia. You blew it two years ago. You did a little better last year. We get it.
I guess I’m just sitting down to write myself a letter and remind myself how this year is going to be. It’s going to be warm and giving and absolutely full of Christmas spirit.
Happy December, everyone. Please don’t stress yourself out this year with needing and wanting and getting and having and competing and and and…
Just sit down with a cuppa hot cocoa and watch your favorite Christmas movie with your favorite people.
Read “A Christmas Carol.”
Read Luke 2.
Make something for someone because you love them.
Give thanks for what you do have, and be content therein. Most people don’t have what you do, you know.
Take a lot of time this month to fully appreciate it all.
Just remember: keep it festive (read: no talk of the deadness of your trees).
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