Am I the only one that feels a little burnt out after the hustle and bustle of the holidays? It takes all month to prepare for one day and in an instant that day has come and gone. Add into the mix my husband's birthday which is the day after Christmas and you get two very busy treat-filled days. Then it is all over and time to get back to the real world, which always involves a lot of wrapping paper pickup, toy packages that need to be put in the recycling, toys that need to be organized, and a whole host of other daily life chores.
I'm almost there though! I did a major sweep of the house last evening and have a bag of wrapping paper to set by the curb. All the cardboard and plastic wrappers are picked up, toys are in a box ready to find their new spots in the toy room. Laundry is being washed, folded, and put away.
Despite my whining it was a wonderful Christmas spent with family. We never did end up getting the blizzard like conditions that had been predicted all week, we just stayed wet and rainy with very little ice to deal with so that was a blessing. We were able to make it to church and to my Grandma's house.
Christmas is just different when you are the mother. Once you become a mother you comprehend that it's your job to piece everything together and make a day seem extra special. From the decorations to the food to the gifts to scheduling the events of the day...it all lands on you! Sometimes that stress of making sure everything is perfect for everyone else can make you feel a bit in the bah humbug spirit yourself. I experienced that stress more this year than any before. Whether it be leaving my two youngest at home with daddy so that I could actually visit at a family gathering, only to have the oldest continually say she was going to throw up but that no, she didn't want to go home to having others make it clear that children are bothersome (yes, they can be, but no, you actually can't tell their mothers that without yourself looking like a grinch). While I tried my best to make this season low key and less commercialized I feel like I failed with myself because I was stressed out to the max and just didn't enjoy it. It gives me ideas on what not to do next year but it makes me feel as though I missed the mark this year. Or is this just the weekend after Christmas letdown speaking? How are you feeling today?
Christmas is very stressful as a mother. It's our job to make sure everyone is happy & everything is in order. It's very tiring & don't get me started on the clean up & the packing everything away. I love the new look of your blog!
ReplyDeleteI myself am enjoying Christmas so much more now that I have children. They remind me how I felt around this time when I was young. And I think if you're stressing out so much about what's not "perfect" the little people can tell that. Who says you have to do this and that for everyone to enjoy Christmas? A happy relaxed mother would probably be more appreciated, maybe with just the basics.
ReplyDeleteAs a Catholic your Christmas celebrations should just be starting with Christmas day. Anymore commercialism pushes you to buy, buy, buy right after Thanksgiving, and get your tree up, and deck the halls, when Advent is meant to be the penitential preclude to the holiday as Lent is to Easter. The celebration of Christmas is supposed to last until Epiphany (January 6th) or at least the Nativity scene should stay up until then! This is one of the "traditions" that we are raising our children with.
Oh my goodness this describes EXACTLY how I am feeling to a big, fat, capital T! I couldn't have said it any better myself! It seems like the more determined I am to become more organized for the next year, the more unorganized I become! This year was definitely the worst for me. And then comes all the guilt that my kids deserve better, and I'm failing in not communicating the true message of the season to them. Ack! I could go on and on. It's nice to know I'm not alone in feeling this way and someone else understands too.
ReplyDeleteHere's to a bright, new, fresh 2010!!!!