I always think THIS is the year.
The year I get all my Christmas shopping done by December 1.
The year I can then spend my December wrapping gifts that are Pinterest worthy.
The year I spend time in the kitchen baking wonderful treats with my daughter with my apron on and Christmas music playing in the background.
The year my Christmas cards are ordered in plenty of time for me to sit at my CLEAN dining room table, sipping on hot chocolate while watching the snow fall with my excel spreadsheet of addresses.
The year the whole family can’t wait to help with the decorating.
The year I’m able to resist all the wonderful food brought to work.
The year my house stays clean the whole month of December and friends come in and out, drinking wine and eating the appetizers that are always out welcoming my
visitors.
The year my husband puts up the outside lights in a timely manner while he sips on a bourbon, enjoying the fact that he can participate in this wonderful holiday and when he is done, all the lights work.
The year I finally listen to my kids and I don’t worry if each kid gets the same number of gifts and if I’ve spent the same amount on each because I don’t want anyone to think I have a “favorite”.
The year the whole family watches all the holiday classics with me.
Ok, ok…I know. I’m living in a fantasy world. Do you want to hear my reality?
I will still be shopping December 24 although I will swear I have everything I need way before that.
I will begin with creative wrapping and beautiful bows and get tremendously sick of wrapping and the majority of my gifts will look like my dog got a hold of them.
I won’t even walk in the kitchen except to grab some oreos from the cabinet.
I might take a Christmas card picture but no one will be able to agree on a picture and so I will just forget the whole thing. If I do happen to get a Christmas card together, it will be so late I will be frantically tearing off return labels of Christmas cards I receive and sending them only to them because I don’t have time to look up anyone’s address.
(And my dining room table is NEVER clean!)
No one wants to help with the decorating, including me sometimes.
I will not resist any of the yummy food brought to work. In fact I will hide some of it to eat later.
My house will only be clean on the day the cleaners come and if anyone shows up at my door I will probably hide because I haven’t had a shower or my house is too much of a mess.
It will take my husband DAYS to put up the lights with at least 5 trips to Lowes for lights that work and then we will forget to turn them on for the entire month of
December.
I will meticulously count gifts to make sure everything is even, even if it means going out and buying something I know they don’t want just to have something wrapped.
If I turn on Frosty, everyone will leave the room and go watch TV in their bedrooms.
But this is THE year for something. It’s the year I give up unrealistic expectations, embrace my imperfections, and plan to enjoy the good, bad, and ugly of the holiday season, because that’s what makes it memorable. The traditions we’ve created as a family are priceless. My kids will reluctantly help decorate but I know deep inside they kind of enjoy it. My husband will cuss his way through the lights but will be kind of proud when we all stand outside and ooh and ahh over how pretty they look. I will act all grumpy over having to fight the crowds for the last minute gifts but will be thrilled when I find “the perfect” gift for someone. We all will be excited when my Bella-wrapped gifts go under the tree. We will entertain a lot and it will be exhausting, but a happy kind of exhausting. And if I pout enough, the family will watch “It’s A Wonderful Life” with me on Christmas Eve and maybe even be kind of glad they did. Whether some of my holiday fantasies come true or if I just live out my reality for another year, it doesn’t matter. All that matters is I’m surrounded by people I love and people who love me. THAT’S the magic of Christmas.
What makes your holidays magical?
The year I get all my Christmas shopping done by December 1.
The year I can then spend my December wrapping gifts that are Pinterest worthy.
The year I spend time in the kitchen baking wonderful treats with my daughter with my apron on and Christmas music playing in the background.
The year my Christmas cards are ordered in plenty of time for me to sit at my CLEAN dining room table, sipping on hot chocolate while watching the snow fall with my excel spreadsheet of addresses.
The year the whole family can’t wait to help with the decorating.
The year I’m able to resist all the wonderful food brought to work.
The year my house stays clean the whole month of December and friends come in and out, drinking wine and eating the appetizers that are always out welcoming my
visitors.
The year my husband puts up the outside lights in a timely manner while he sips on a bourbon, enjoying the fact that he can participate in this wonderful holiday and when he is done, all the lights work.
The year I finally listen to my kids and I don’t worry if each kid gets the same number of gifts and if I’ve spent the same amount on each because I don’t want anyone to think I have a “favorite”.
The year the whole family watches all the holiday classics with me.
Ok, ok…I know. I’m living in a fantasy world. Do you want to hear my reality?
I will still be shopping December 24 although I will swear I have everything I need way before that.
I will begin with creative wrapping and beautiful bows and get tremendously sick of wrapping and the majority of my gifts will look like my dog got a hold of them.
I won’t even walk in the kitchen except to grab some oreos from the cabinet.
I might take a Christmas card picture but no one will be able to agree on a picture and so I will just forget the whole thing. If I do happen to get a Christmas card together, it will be so late I will be frantically tearing off return labels of Christmas cards I receive and sending them only to them because I don’t have time to look up anyone’s address.
(And my dining room table is NEVER clean!)
No one wants to help with the decorating, including me sometimes.
I will not resist any of the yummy food brought to work. In fact I will hide some of it to eat later.
My house will only be clean on the day the cleaners come and if anyone shows up at my door I will probably hide because I haven’t had a shower or my house is too much of a mess.
It will take my husband DAYS to put up the lights with at least 5 trips to Lowes for lights that work and then we will forget to turn them on for the entire month of
December.
I will meticulously count gifts to make sure everything is even, even if it means going out and buying something I know they don’t want just to have something wrapped.
If I turn on Frosty, everyone will leave the room and go watch TV in their bedrooms.
But this is THE year for something. It’s the year I give up unrealistic expectations, embrace my imperfections, and plan to enjoy the good, bad, and ugly of the holiday season, because that’s what makes it memorable. The traditions we’ve created as a family are priceless. My kids will reluctantly help decorate but I know deep inside they kind of enjoy it. My husband will cuss his way through the lights but will be kind of proud when we all stand outside and ooh and ahh over how pretty they look. I will act all grumpy over having to fight the crowds for the last minute gifts but will be thrilled when I find “the perfect” gift for someone. We all will be excited when my Bella-wrapped gifts go under the tree. We will entertain a lot and it will be exhausting, but a happy kind of exhausting. And if I pout enough, the family will watch “It’s A Wonderful Life” with me on Christmas Eve and maybe even be kind of glad they did. Whether some of my holiday fantasies come true or if I just live out my reality for another year, it doesn’t matter. All that matters is I’m surrounded by people I love and people who love me. THAT’S the magic of Christmas.
What makes your holidays magical?
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