“Christmas snuck up on me again!” How is it that this phrase even exists? I have heard it announced more times than I can count, having muttered it myself year after year. Christmas is December 25. Every! Single! Year! But for some mysterious reason, I find myself in the same predicament each year…freaking out because…
“Christmas snuck up on me again!” How is it that this phrase even exists? I have heard it announced more times than I can count, having muttered it myself year after year.
Christmas is December 25. Every! Single! Year!
But for some mysterious reason, I find myself in the same predicament each year…freaking out because “TOMORROW IS CHRISTMAS EVE!” There is still so much to do! How on earth will I get it all done?!?
Wait a minute, though…things are different this year. At the request of our grown children, we refrained from covering the floor surrounding the tree with gifts. The only wrapped packages, in fact, are labeled with the names of the littles in our life – Langley and her cousins. As my He was fond of saying, “Christmas is for the kids anyway.”
Although this should make our lives sooooo much easier, it has created its own set of stressors for the holiday. My man, whose primary love language is gift giving, is basically being made to remain silent. Poor guy’s been in mourning since we made the decision (for which he frequently reminds me that he was NOT consulted). And although I speak my love in the forms of quality time, physical touch, and words of affirmation, I’m even having a hard time of this! (I did find a loophole, though! Stocking stuffers do not count as gifts, do they?)
So, since we don’t have a bunch of gifts to shop for, purchase, wrap, etc., why am I such a mess? As I ponder on this, I have come to the conclusion that perhaps it is the result of five decades of programming. Christmas, according to our society, is supposed to be insane! That mentality, in an of itself, is INSANE!
It’s time to stop the insanity! Although I have NO idea what that looks like, I plan to spend the next 365 days trying to figure it out. Here are some of the options I’ve come up with:
- Set a budget and start saving for next Christmas.
- Move to American Samoa to gain 5 hours before Christmas.
- Keep my house clean constantly so I won’t have to maniacally clean the day before.
- Just learn to relax and enjoy the season, giving myself permission to NOT do all the things.
As this blessed holiday season approaches (same bat date, same bat channel), may you find your joy not in all the stuff, but in the people, the laughter, the silence, the Lamb.
Merry Christmas!