Christmas — school break, cool weather, lazy mornings in bed, gimmicks with friends, presents, family reunions, great food!!!
Yup, I remember those good ole days. Of course, those days were when I was a kid up till the time I got hitched.
From the time the kids started coming one after the other though, Christmas became a very STRESS-filled season. Endless shopping for family (and that now included a whole clan of in-laws), nights finding me on the floor wrapping up the presents and labelling them, discovering I missed out on a few more people so the shopping cycle began again….The kids loved this time of the year; I dreaded it (though, of course, I tried not to show it and made it as fun and pleasant for all).
This year, I resolved to change my view of things.
The shopping will not go away and neither will the nights of wrapping up gifts. But I sure can change how I respond to the situation. Getting all worked up and stressed over the whole thing just caused me angst and about the only thing it did to me was age me a few years more.
So, with some success, I have tackled the art of shopping (without dropping) and actually found myself enjoying it. To celebrate this newfound freedom from stress, I bought a new Christmas tree to change our 15-year old one (and chose the decor myself). And I am refocusing my thoughts on the real spirit behind Christmas. The belen at home was moved to a more prominent spot in the living room to remind the kids (and most of all, ME) that there lay the reason behind our celebrations all these years.
HAVE A BLESSED CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!