Banishing the Holiday Madness

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One day in mid-November, while playing taxi for a couple of really cute little boys, I heard my first Christmas carol of the season. And then something happened that I did not expect: I cringed. And I was met with the irresistible urge to change the station. What?! Breathe, I thought. It's just too early. I'll start feeling the holiday spirit after Thanksgiving is over. But that didn't happen either.

First week of December. The random assortment of dusty storage boxes with aged red and green labels stands like a skyscraper in my living room. And I plop down on the couch, exasperated -- exhausted just looking at the tower. Nooooo, I plead. I'm not ready!

In 31 years of Christmases, I don't remember ever feeling this Grinchy. I love Christmas! Everyone LOVES Christmas, right? Well, maybe not everyone. But I've certainly never considered myself to be on the "Scrooge" list. And then I realized, it's not Christmas that I am overwhelmed with. It's everything around it. It's all the "stuff and fluff" as Pooh Bear so eloquently put it. I'm bewildered and exhausted just thinking about keeping track of all the stuff and fluff around Christmas. And apparently I'm not the only one. When I googled "holiday stress," I had more than 7 million hits in 0.16 seconds. Nope, I'm not exaggerating.

Here are some things I've realized that are helping me to slow down, chill out, and maybe enjoy the season a little more this year:

bodyquirks.wordpress.com

-It's okay to stop and enjoy a cup of cocoa now and then. With lots of marshmallows. Yum.
-I'm not more important than all the other people in line or in all the other people stopped in the mall traffic. Sometimes it's nice to let someone else go first just because.
-If I want to go to an event, I can. If I don't want to go, I don't have to.
-Changing it up a bit can be fun. There's no reason to force myself to do something just because "It's tradition, and we always do it that way."
-It seems like there is an awful lot of waiting this time of year. Waiting in line, waiting for packages to come, waiting for Christmas Day to come. I've decided the best present I can give myself this year is to be present and take each moment as it comes. Waiting in a long line becomes savored time with my little boys. Listening to a long ... long story about my 5-year-old's imaginary friend and what she wants for Christmas brings a smile rather than an exasperated sigh. It's all about perspective.
-I don't have to bake. Guess what? Our neighbors are getting some of our handmade soaps this year, instead.
-One easy way to avoid some holiday pounds is to avoid cookie exchanges!
-It's not really about the presents. I remember lots more Christmas carols than I do gifts I've received over the years.
-Even if I don't mail out Christmas cards, people can still know I love them and am thinking about them.
-It's likely that my boys will remember the fun stuff we did, not the stress that surrounded it.
-I don't have to go to every single Christmas party, concert, and get-together. It's okay to say "no, thanks" even before my schedule is completely saturated.

One of Trent's beautiful creations, in our etsy store.

-It has been a pretty rough year for us, so there isn't a lot of surplus for gifts, but that's okay. It actually feels kind of good to simplify.
-Things don't have to be perfect.
-I don't have to do it all this year. There will be other years and other chances to to everything all over again.
-And last of all, (but it probably should've been put first!) I know it's cliche, but I've had to re-focus on the "reason for the season." It's this: A little baby was born in the humblest of circumstances. He didn't have to come to earth and suffer for us, but he did. Because he loves us. At Christmastime, we show our gratitude for his sacrifice by remembering him and by showing each other a little more love than we usually do. Love was his gift to us, and it is the most precious gift we can give to each other.

Well, I'll bet you want to dip into that great wealth of knowledge that I found amongst the 7 million "holiday stress" hits on the net. ;) Here's one I really liked: It's a great list of 12 articles on the topic.

So, if you see me (or don't see me at a party), and I seem to have unplugged from the "merriment" for little bit, don't think I'm Scroogey, 'kay? Just trying to stay sane. ;)

Merry Christmas!