The not-so-perfect Christmas

So, here we are, two days before Christmas. As a child, I remember only fond memories of the holidays. Despite the fact that my parents were divorced, we always spent Christmas as a family. My parents shopped together and spent Christmas Eve wrapping presents, as a team, into the wee hours of the morning. Soon after the last present was wrapped, my sister and I would sneak half-way down the stairs to get the first glance at the bounty under the tree. We would then drag our older brother out of bed, rouse our parents, and begin the festivities!

Now that I'm a parent, I am feeling the pressure of making the holidays special. I guess I never realized how much my parents agonized over our lack of funds or how time-consuming it was to bake, shop, and travel. This year, especially, I have forced myself to take a giant step back. It's unrealistic and wasteful to buy everything you want or to bake 25 different types of cookies. It's also terribly overwhelming to travel to each relative and have your kids tucked snuggly into their beds on Christmas Eve night. In other words, the holidays become much more enjoyable when you give up the idea of "perfect". Maybe a couple batches of cookies is enough. Perhaps it doesn't matter if our Christmas lights are crooked. And maybe, just maybe, we can avoid shopping till we drop.

When I think back on my childhood, I realize that I loved Christmas, because my family was together. Yes, the presents were great, the cookies were delicious, and the lights were spectacular (even if they were crooked!), but none of those things were the main focus. I guarantee that my Mother never felt like things were perfect or that she had done enough, but as far as I was concerned, the day was always magical!
So this year, decide that you have done enough. Let your oven mitt cool, put away the scisssors and tape, and go hug your kids. That's what I'm about to do, because in the end, that's what they'll remember most.