Christmas- Celebration or Chore?

Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. My parents (mostly my mom) always made a huge deal out of Christmas. Her house is always decorated to the max, complete with a huge outdoor display. Cookies are baked by the dozen, including other desserts such as fudge and date nut bars. Everything- the decorating, the baking, shopping for and decking the tree, even wrapping presents- is done a a family. Christmas movies and TV specials are watched all month long, and the Christmas music comes on somewhere in mid-November. Before the extended family started getting so huge, everybody would gather at my mom's house or my auntie Linda's house on Christmas Eve. Now that gathering has dwindled down to just my parents, brother (and his wonderful fiance!), grandma, and auntie Linda. Christmas Eve is when my in-law's have their big celebration, so I haven't been around on Christmas Eve since our second year of dating. The big culmination to the holidays is on Christmas Day with a HUGE gift exchange in the morning, lunch at my Grandpa Harry's house, and dinner with all 26 of us at my Grandma Sally's house.

I think my mother has passed on her "Christmas Nut" gene onto me. The first Christmas I was engaged (we didn't get married until nearly 3 years post-proposal so I could graduate from college and complete my teaching credentials), my mom and I shopped for Christmas decorations for my new home. I have two huge bins full of decorations now. This is only my second year being able to put them up because last Christmas, we were living at my parents. I LOVE shopping for presents. The decorating. The baking. The wrapping. The Christmas movies (Louis just came in to see if I was done blogging so we could watch "Home Alone." Last night we (well; he- I fell asleep at the beginning!) watched "Elf." He's such a trooper, since I know this isn't a favorite tradition of his). Today Louis hung the lights on our house for the very first time, and I pulled out the decorations. It was like seeing my old friends.

Anyway, as much as I absolutely LOVE this time of year, I always get SO stressed out with everything going on. No matter how much I get done in advance, just like with party-planning, there is always SO much left to do. I am pleased to say that every single present I have purchased is wrapped right now. I am almost done with my shopping (minus my poor husband. I also have to come up with something for his birthday one week from today!) I have so many things that I want to do every season, and do my absolute best to do, but usually wind up with my brain spinning and head aching come Christmas Eve. I'm the kind of girl that likes her plate FULL and is always up for a challenge. I absolutely LOVE every part of the holiday season but there are SO many times, especially the two gosh-darn AWFUL years that I worked at Target, where everything feels like a chore. I get too busy to stop and smell the roses. I am bound and determined not to let them happen this year. Whether or not all the cookies get baked, the packages perfectly decorated, or the tree completely decked, I want to be able to take a few steps back, cuddle up in front of our Christmas tree (which we are buying on Saturday) with my husband, and reflect on the true meaning of this holiday season. I'm determined to make Louis's birthday a casual affair rather than freaking out, trying to get the house in perfectly decorated order before his whole family comes here (again). I have been trying to decorate my house all week but just didn't have the energy to pull out the boxes until today. All of the decorations are unwrapped and on my dining room table, waiting to be dispersed through the house. Perhaps tomorrow? I'm determined to take things a little bit at a time.

Part of the reason I'm also determined to slow down is so that I'm not so beat on Christmas Day. Like I mentioned earlier, our Christmas Eve is spent at my MIL's house. Louis and I started the tradition last year of going to Christmas Eve service at his old church before heading over there for dinner and presents. We are usually up until nearly 1:00 a.m., but I am going to try to talk my MIL into opening the presents earlier because of Jeremiah. And because of our crazy day on Christmas day. My mom wants us to go to her house in the morning when we are done with our breakfast and presents at home, because it's the last year that my brother will be around on Christmas morning. Starting next year he will be having his own traditions with his new wife and her family, who celebrate on Christmas morning. We will still see him at each set of grandparents house later in the day, but its our VERY last year with all of us (including Jeremiah and Louis!) under the tree, in our pjs, just like growing up. This makes me sad. Happy because I'm going to be gaining such a wonderful sister, but sad that this chapter of our life is coming to an end. No more everyone sitting in the exact same spot. No more Joey spilling his OJ on the carpet like he does every year.

Stressed out about the holiday season? Don't be. Don't be like how I used to be every other year, in near tears on Christmas Eve with your hair standing on end. Take the time to remember the reason for the season! What gets done gets done. What doesn't.... well they didn't have gingerbread men at the first Christmas, anyway! Happy 2 1/2 weeks til Christmas, everybody! Thanks for reading this very LONG post!