Yes, I can tell it's Christmas Time. Is it the decorations all around or the continuous holiday music being played on the radio? No! Is it the smell of cookies baking or the arrival of special cards in the mail? No! Is it the crisp, cold air in the morning or the sound of the bells ringing in front of the grocery store? No! It's the feeling I get inside of stress and overwhelm. I wish I could say that I love this time of year, but honestly, I don't. Once December 1st rolls around, it seems that every spare moment is devoured with some type of holiday chore: shopping, wrapping, more wrapping, packaging, mailing, family photo taking, card ordering, card signing, envelope addressing and more mailing, menu creating, party planning, party partaking, decorating, more decorating and still more decorating trying to get it just right with decorations I did not purchase, Santa visiting, light viewing, more shopping, homemade gift creating. And why do I do all this...because Christmas is a time of giving and I just give, give, give until I can't stand it. But really I do it because Christmas is such a special time of year and I want to create happy memories for my children hoping that they will see the joy in giving to others. That they grow up and see that it is truly better to give than to recieve and the season is about more than just the presents.
However, for the sake of sanity, I must learn to simplify and create a holiday that I enjoy being a part of. Where I still have time to be me and do the things I love. Where I do not overindulge or overdo. Where I do not bring stress to other with my frenzied ways. I want this for me and my family!
I don't have any Christmas photos to share, but the shots below are from our trip to San Lois Obispo the weekend before Thanksgiving. Here we visited the MaDonna Inn, Avila Beach, and Los Osos. The heart above is from Bubblegum Alley in San Lois Obispo...gross!
I'm glad that someone else admitted it too :) This is tough--but SO worth it in the end. I always went way out at Christmas time with everything--we struggled at times when our kids were younger, but our Christmas's were always special. Now that they're grown, they're passing it on to their young "families" (no grandchildren yet). And when we come together at Christmas time, we always talk and remember our past Christmas times--I love it--the best present!
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