Christmas

Am I hurrying past Christmas by wanting my decorations down?

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I love Christmas. I love decorating for Christmas. I love watching the lights on my tree at night. I love the magic and miracle of the Christmas season. That said, once Christmas is over, my decorations begin to feel annoying. My living room feels cluttered with a tree. The mesmerizing tree lights do not mesmerize me anymore. I don’t feel the “magic” of the season anymore. All the Christmas “stuff” feels like clutter. I can’t think. I feel like my house is messy. I want to put it away and move onto other things.

I feel a little guilty by this. Shouldn’t I feel “Christmasy” after Dec 25? Does it mean that I don’t appreciate that Jesus was born on Christmas day? If I really think about it, Christmas has nothing to do with all the decorations, but the heart. So perhaps, it’s not that bad that my once loved decorations turn into mind clutter? I don’t know. I wish I could enjoy my decorations for one more day or week. After all, Christmas comes but just once a year. But, I’m ready to move on to the next thing – mainly thinking about the new year and the blessings it holds.

With that said, I do try to wait until Dec 31 before I take down my tree. It’s such a relief once everything is packed away. My mind is fresh for the new year.

The Countdown to Christmas

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In these last few days before Christmas, it feels like a wait game. You’re all ready for the big day, now it just has to arrive. It also feels a bit sad. The stores are already putting the Christmas decorations on clearance. The store shelves are bare. If you didn’t get whatever you needed weeks ago, you might be out of luck. If it’s an online purchase, it won’t make it here by Christmas without paying a huge fee. Stress!

Then there is the fact that stores are actually closed on Christmas Day. I feel a little anxious about this. What if I run out of an ingredient? What if I “need” something like wrapping paper even though I have gobs of it because you never know I just might run out??? The fact that I may not be able to get something when I want it worries me. That’s sad. I’m used to living in an instant society.

I asked when my local Walmart was closing. They close at 8 pm on Christmas Eve. Closed on Christmas Day. This gives me an exact time I need to aim for to make sure I’ve gotten all my last minute stuff.

A Busy Christmas Season

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Now that my kids are older, I want to get out do more things for Christmas. In the past, I’ve felt restricted because I was either pregnant and didn’t feel well or thought my kids were too young and didn’t feel brave to venture out with them.

Three kids later, I have changed that perspective. Although, it helps that my youngest is almost 3. Every day this past week, we’ve had something to do in town -whether it be see Santa, watch a parade, watch a tree lighting, or some other festive event. I like getting out and being in the middle of things. I want to experience life. It can be hard when you have kids since they naturally can restrict your activities due to their age. I also want to establish traditions with my children, to build good memories of the holidays.

My dilemma comes in when I question whether I am doing something selfishly and not putting my kid’s needs first. Should I be so busy? Is it hard on them? If we were home, they would just gravitate toward the TV. I know that my kids might not like everything I do and they just have to deal with it sometimes. It’s definitely a balance.

Easy Friend/Neighbor Christmas Gift Idea with Chocolate

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kiss1

Every year I stress out on what to give my friends & neighbors for Christmas. I used to give a plate of cookies, but since I have gone gluten free, I haven’t been in the mood to bake gluten filled cookies that I cannot eat. I also don’t have alot of good recipes for gluten free cookies.

I want a simple and easy gift to give.

While searching Pinterest, I came across this simple idea for a gift. Just a bag of kisses and a tag that says “We wish you a Merry Kiss-Mas”. Simple, easy. All I had to do was make the tags myself and cut them out.

Download Christmas tags Printable Here

Original idea from this blog.