So tell me if this sounds familiar to anyone. Every year I try and think up ways around the Christmas season to make life a little less hectic. I've tried starting things early and abandoning long lived traditions that seem to just cause stress. Yet every year things seem out of control. It usually starts with the pulling out of Christmas decorations. You open up the first box to discover that the snowglobe your kids had to have last year has broken and spilled water all over your tree skirt. Then you put the lights on the tree. Yes, you have tested them all before putting them on, but after you have put 10 strands of lights on and you plug them in you realize half of your tree is not lit up. You would replace the one bulb that is causing you to fume but you realize that you tossed them all last year because it was too difficult to keep track of them. Now I don't know about you but my tree sits undecorated for at least three days after I have put it up because I need a break from the thing. All along my children are asking every five minutes "When are we going to decorate the tree?" Now that your house looks festive you move on to your Christmas list. It is a pain staking process to plan it out and make sure everyone is getting what they want and that it is even. This is difficult in my family because my children have the uncanny nack to ask for the impossible (AKA the year my son asked for The actual Magic School Bus). Then you head out to shop only to find that your brilliant ideas were everyone else's and no store is carrying it. So you rush home to order it online and pray that it gets here on time. You crawl into bed that night exhausted but feeling that your shopping might almost be done when you remember you haven't gotten anything for your kids teachers. You stay up half the night wondering what you should do for neighbor gifts because heaven forbid you repeat an idea. But you can't actually start neighbor gifts because you have to wait until you get them so you know who gave them to you because you may not have originally put them on your list. Now your mind turns to Christmas cards and the ever enjoyable picture. Why is it whenever you pull your camera out any other time of the year your kids are right there striking a pose, but on the day of family pictures they are in their rooms crying they don't want to do it. If only your Christmas card pictures could utter the phrase that was said just before the picture was taken then would we really know what a family was like. And through all this chaos you still have a life to live. You still have work, school, homework, laundry, grocery shopping, and blogging to do. Then somewhere around Dec 22 you have a moment of insanity and decide you are going out to get those last few little things. Only to be caught in endless shopping lines and unruly amounts of traffic. And that is when you snap! You find yourself uttering a strain of expletives that would cause a truck driver to blush and you have a strong urge to give everyone the bird (and I'm not talking a Butterball turkey). Finally you come home and relax from your frenzy, and it is at this point that I begin to wonder "why?" Why is this season so chaotic when the whole reason for this holiday revolves around the birth of a baby on a silent night in a lowly manger. There was no hype and no commercialism. Why does that get so lost during the holidays. Christ's birth should not be an excuse for you to do all this other stuff, His birth should be the point! So I am asking all of you who read my blog to tell me something you and your family do to keep yourself grounded in the true meaning of Christmas. Help Me!!
Merry Christmas!
10 comments:
You will have to wait till you are my age to enjoy the Season. Now that I'm not so caught up in the everyday thing I can enjoy the music, the goodies that the neighbors bring and especially the Grandchildren. I loved finding for Janie and Mijken a baby doll that giggles! I also love watching my children with their children...it is what living is all about! Just remember that someday you will be where I am and you will understand that getting older isn't so bad...somethimes it can be wonderful.
Heather, I love your blog. Once again you know how to make me laugh and cry in on blog. Okay, how I stay sain during the holiday season. Well, first. I am married to Clark Griswald and that helps. He LOVES to do the lights on the tree (all 21 strands!!), I let my kids decorate the tree, they love it and who really cares what it looks like because they LOVE it and that is what it is all about. Christmas shopping is a huge pain your right, make a list and don't go alone!! GO WITH A GIRLFRIEND!! It makes it much more fun. Don't do it in one day either, do it in small amounts. I think it is a great way to spend lots of time with your friends!
Take deep breaths, drink lots of egg nog and eat lots of ginger cookies. And when all else fails I love to sit by my fire with my kids and listen to Ryan play Christmas music on the piano. Good Luck!!
I know I am not the best in giving advice...BUT JUST SAY NO! List those things that makes the season special, schedule them into the calendar, and say no to everything else that does not fit. We like to take the kids out one at a time to dinner and Christmas shop. Many years Mark has done it on his own because I have been sick. But it has been one of my highlights this year. We like to look at lights, do the 12 days of Chirstmas for a family, and make sugar cookies for Santa. Our primary made FHE packets for the Mondays in December to bring Christ back into Christmas and we have enjoyed doing those. The kids love to read Christmas stories by the Christmas tree and sipping hot chocolate. The first Christmas was a small family and a few visitors. I try to keep those things of MOST importance at the top of my list and let the rest go. Good Luck...I know it is easier to write down than to implement!
We started reading a Christmas story/book each night. It helps us unwind after a crazy day. When Cora is older I think we will wrap each book and put them under the tree, to open one each night sounds fun. I agree with Amber, keep it simple and say No. Can you really remember what neighbors gave you gifts.....they will never know.
I love that your little guy wanted the actual magic school bus. I understand your stress. And I'm afraid that things will only get worse as our family grows up. I've really tried to personally improve my own relationship with the Savior this month, not just because it's Christmas, but becuase I need it. I guess that has hepled put Christmas into perspective...I've dropped a few things off of our list of Christmas tasks and still feel good about it all. Good luck...you'll be O.K., I'm sure. Wish we could see you guys at the Shaw party-we'll be out of town.
I wish I had some great advice, but I too am looking for a way to slow down! I am really trying to cut back this year and I think that has made me a little less stressed. I remember when Zach asked for the magic school bus. That is an all time classic. Whenever I tell Blake he is asking for too much he pulls the old, "well you can get me this and Santa can get me that" Nice one huh!
Heather I forgot how dang FUNNY you are. And after you read that you probably did your cute little giggle that I can hear from you. You know this has been a hard December for me I havent focused to much but just laying down. Sooo to read your blog so I can just laugh made my day. I am like Jessie I am still trying to figure it out. And Emily Iam glad to know that you let your kids do the tree no matter how it looks. I think my kids redecorate it everyday. Today he tried to just throw them back on like the grinch did. Yikes. Anyhow, love to hear about London as well. Especially you singing Feed the birds. Love it. You are great.....Have a great Holiday!!! Love ya.
ok, so i've given this a lot of thought so here it goes.
as an adult, christmas seems to lose that special kind of magic it once had when we were children. so, somehow we need to find that child like beautiful faith and wonder that was ours when we were children. seems easy enough, but it can be one of the hardest things to do.
as an example, for years my family and i would go to various christmas tree farms to find that special tree we would bring home. my first choice would have been to go to the forest and cut down our own pine tree in the beautiful white snowy mountains while happily singing carols all the way. our family would be in matching snow gear with the most adorable hats and gloves. after finding our tree and cutting it down, we would leave our premade pinecone-rolled-in-peanutbutter-birdseed ornaments and hang them on all the trees for the woodland creatures to enjoy. we would then drive home with the smell of fresh pine drifting through the windows and enjoying hot cocoa at home complete with designer marshmallows and hot ginger cookies served on christmas china.
well, that never happened. what did happen was a big fight about what tree we were going to get. the size, type, and cost were always up for debate. it honestly was pretty miserable. not exactly what i had in mind. a few years back i bought an artificial 12' tree at costco. end of discussion! well now we just fight about the fact that it's fake and how terrible mom is for buying it in the first place! can't win!
well, welcome to adulthood. we lost that magic feeling. isn't there a song that goes like that? "we lost that magic feeling now it's gone, gone, gone... whoooaaa, whoa gone." hey, maybe that song should be sung at christmas along with the other traditional carols!
christmas just is what it is. in this day and age, and with being an over-burdened, over-stressed adult, what can you do? really, it is up to us to find that magic feeling again.
some stresses of christmas are unavoidable, but here are some things i do to help:
-turn off the t.v.!!! and keep it off! unless you are watching cute christmas movies. they have to be dvd's because t.v. shows have commercials!
-put down all the magazines. don't even look at them! back away from martha stewart and the pottery barn catalog. don't even look at them out of your peripheral at the grocery store check out lanes!
-gather all my christmas books and read them at night, or any other time that is convenient with the kids. go to the book store and find a new one each year if time allows. nothing is better than going to the children's section of the book store and escaping for a few hours.
-turn on the jolly and beautiful christmas music. play it loud. louder!! in your car, at home, and sing those songs at the top of your lungs! or just listen to them loud and feel them with all your heart especially while driving in your car. make the world go away, sort of speaking.
-remind yourself that everything about christmas is about christ. even santa is a symbol of christmas that reminds of of christ. he loves little children, he knows we are good, and he brings gifts. the symbols of christmas can remind us of the true meaning of christmas if we chose to.
basically heather, i feel your pain. every year at christmas, i too want to yell, "help me!" so, every year i get down on my knees and ask God for help.
all joking aside, Heavenly Father has been the only source that has helped me. never martha stewart, or anything i can find at a mall.
in a nutshell, show the world at christmas time who is boss. kind of like the little boy in "home alone" when he wished his family would disappear. remember the moment he realized they were gone and he said, "i made my family disappear? i made my family disappear!" :) decide to make the worldly part of this world disappear.
take a deep breath and let it out slowly. clear your head, get down on your knees and offer a prayer, and start to begin the 'heather christmas'. it is different from anything you've ever seen!
good luck and God bless! i love you.
Heather...just read your comment and of course I would love you to change my paper. You can email me at katejill27@aol.com and I will give you the goods. ha! On a side note - something we like to do on Christmas (recently) is watch the nativity movie the church put out a few years ago (on mute) and play Breath of Heaven by Amy Grant. It's really touching and goes amazingly well. Also - we love doing anonymous things as well. I really do love to spend it more on others than for us. It really brings a good Christmas spirit.
Dec. 30
Paul helped me find the family blogs; can't resist giving my "over the hill" advice:
This I got from Jo: treat Christmas more like Easter--a week of preparation,celebration, nice meal, and beautiful music. Santa and the kid things are so important, but the rest has to be limited. Christmas lasts 6 weeks now; it's a marathon and we all hit the wall somewhere along the way.
The 2 Christmases in a row when Byron and Austin each got married, I did about half as much as I used to for Christmas and never went back to the "full on" Christmas I'd done before. Nobody seemed to care.
Forget about giving neighbor gifts or give them at Thanksgiving as "I'm thankful for you" gifts. Or donate to a charity and mail notes to your neighbors to tell them you donated in their names. For 2 years our ward found a needy migrant famiy and asked everyone to donate money for them instead of their neighbor gifts; I thought that was a super idea.
I read this year of a woman who opens her garage on December's Saturday mornings and serves hot chocolate to her neighbors who bring food for the food bank. It started small, but now everyone stops by, leaves loads of food, drinks cocoa, and visits with neighbors INSTEAD of doing neighbor gifts.
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