Can you have a hangover if you don’t drink alcohol? Because I think that’s what I had the day after Christmas. Yeah, A Christmas Hangover, that’s what I’m calling it. I woke up at 1:00 in the afternoon!!!
I can hear all you mommas of young children now, groaning with glee at the mere thought of sleeping past 8 a.m., much less past noon. Mothers everywhere will attest to the fact that somewhere along the way, Christmas has become a lot of work for us. The shopping for food and presents, decorating, wrapping, goodie preparation, gift delivering, party hosting and attending, Christmas card crafting, stocking stuffing, and endless attention to creating and carrying out traditions…makes you tired again just thinking about it, doesn’t it?!
Even when we’re trying hard to focus on the manger, it’s easy to be worn out, if not sidetracked, by the mayhem. So, what’s a momma to do? Here’s my personal Christmas List for next year:
1. Start early.
2. Keep it simple.
3. Thank God everyday for the gift of Jesus.
Please feel free to remind me of what I just wrote, in case I start to get caught up in the fog of it all. I’d hate to miss seeing Jesus through the haze of activity. After all, He is the gift we’re supposed to be celebrating.
Merry CHRISTmas,
Vickey
Really Relating
How do you keep the mayhem to a minimum during the holidays?
Please, do share your tips with the rest of us!
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Well, a fabulous by-product of being TV-less this Christmas was a 5 year old boy devoid of the "gimmes". Also it just seemed to suck the commercialization right out of our Christmas, allowing us to focus on Jesus. I just didn't feel a pull to buy tons of gifts. We really did keep it simple.
ReplyDeleteDoing the Jesse Tree project was also wonderful for our family. Plus, I learned to just say "no, thanks" a lot this season to attending a billion parties, gift exchanges and whatnot.
I know the blizzard was a MESS, but I am thankful that our little family was stuck inside together for 2 days. Jason said that he thinks it's been our best Christmas so far and I agree!
I second Crystal's comments. We usually keep our gifts limited to "3 gifts" under the tree, plus fun goodies in stockings. That keeps things pretty simple- the "big" things they want are not out of control, each child gets the same number of gifts and we are not stuck shopping forever. I do love to find little fun & creative things to surprise them with in the stockings. This year it was tiny dinosaurs for Bo and mini Caboodles full of girly stuff: lip balm, lotion, cute hair clips, etc. for the girls. We also really do celebrate ALL season long! I think we were caroling by the first week of December and our tree was up before Thanksgiving. Just having the beauty of the nativity out and the glow of the tree, seems to bring peace to my heart and calm me down.... along with reminding me of all the things I HOPE to accomplish that month- prompting me to start early. I don't know if that's the answer though, because this year I was left with a major case of the after-Christmas blues. After celebrating for a month straight, I didn't know what to do when it was over. I woke up on the twenty sixth (sadly,NOT at 1 pm) feeling the letdown of the aftermath. All I could do is tell my kids, "we only have 364 more days until we get to have Christmas again". I know. Pathetic. I do, however, look very forward to the day we can all sleep in! Thanks for your words, V. Love you!
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