There’s an empty space in front of our living room window right now. The furniture has been rearranged just so, to make room for the Christmas tree that I’ve yet to lug up from the basement.
For some reason I’m dreading it this year, which is unusual for me. In a way I think that maybe I’m holding off because I know as soon as it starts, it will all go by so quickly. Can’t we just take our time?
We arrived home last night from a little getaway and all our neighbors had lights hung and animated snowmen in their yards and we still had pumpkins on our porch. I know once the boys get home from school today that they won’t let me off the hook with the tree trimming. The time has come, no matter how slow I want it to go. They’ll help hang all the ornaments and make some new ones (I purchased a great collage decoration kit that comes with five ornaments kids can make from Arterro.) And I know tonight when the lights flicker and I sit here in the quiet that I’ll be glad it’s up.
I’ve put the Christmas music on —Sufjan Stevens holiday mix on Pandora is my favorite — and I even bought a few presents already, but it just hasn’t sunk in yet. I feel so pressed for time… I want to make good on my desire to instill in my kids the true meaning of Christmas and giving, and hope once again that the few presents under the tree are more than enough.
My mind just won’t stop whirring. I worry they’ve outgrown their snowpants and boots from last year and what if we don’t get new ones before the first snowfall? Where in this small house will I hide their presents this year? How will I navigate Christmas gifts and treats with three kids in school now? That’s a lot of teachers and helpers. And cookies. And Starbucks gift cards.
I just took a really deep breath. You might have even taken one yourself. I’m going to get that tree up, and then I’m going to take in its beauty, and I’m going to slow down because I can. I just forget, in watching everyone else hustle and bustle, it’s easy to slip into that cyclone, too. And I’ll probably forget again (and again.) But at night the tree will bring me back and I’ll remember. And I’ll be really glad it’s up.
And come January, you’ll probably find me writing about how I don’t want to take it down and why don’t we have Valentine’s trees?
Tell me, do you have your decorations up already? What helps you slow down during the holidays?
{About Stephanie, our Family+Parenting Blogger: She’s mom to four and journals about life at Adventures In Babywearing and on twitter as babysteph}
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I find that the older I get, the less desire I have for decorating. But I have a new motivation since becoming a Mimi. I like to see the grandkids faces when they come over and see the tree and look at all the ornaments and decorations. So it motivates me even more to make it extra special for my family who I don’t see every day. I do find myself scaling down each year in putting less up.
I don’t decorate until after December starts. Usually sometime within the first 10 days. Just depends on how I feel since I’m the one that has to do all of it (my husband and kids don’t help). We don’t decorate outside (although we’re thinking of starting next year when we actually have the money to buy more lights).
December just drags on for me. I can’t wait for it to be over with all the stress. We don’t even have money for presents this year. And that’s in a literal sense. We had some extra bills pop up and there went all our money we were planning on using for gifts. We’ll be lucky to have $30-$40 per kid. We could swing that back when they were toddler/preschool age but not at 11, 10 and 9. I guess they’re getting 1 DS game each, the 5yo will get a couple Barbies and the baby…who knows. Some cars, I guess.
We’re usually the only ones that buy them gifts so that might be all they get this year unless my dad forgoes his electric bill to send us money for gifts (last year he sent $500 out of the blue as did my sister in law so they had a ton of stuff).
We also don’t buy for other people and only get for teachers if we have extra money (which is rare, then we get $10 gift cards for each one).
We’re actually raising out kids atheist so Christmas has no religious significance for us. It’s about traditions and family and the gifts although we’ve never spoiled them. We usually spend very little (best Christmas ever was the year we got them each 2 gifts from us (for a total of $40-$80 each) and then got the whole family a Wii, a couple games for it and a couple board games and movies. They LOVED it and didn’t even notice they only had 2 gifts under the tree with their names on them (the rest were to the family).
I’ll be glad when Christmas is over, though, so we can go back to our regular lives. I really don’t even want to decorate because it will be a constant reminder that we have nothing for them this year and they will be disappointed.
I completely understand the stress of feeling the need to “get it all done” during the holidays. I hope you find time and ways to enjoy Christmas this year and not be anxious over the many items on your to-do list. As far as the financial aspect, our 4 kids never get tons(unless, like you, the grandparents send large gifts) but they don’t mind. They love the little things we do together, and making crafts and whatnot much more than tons of presents. We are decorating this week, because the kids love it so much–I’d rather wait a week or so but they get so excited I don’t like to make them wait. Anyway, just remember that kids will remember your attitude and outlook on the holidays much more than the material things they receive. My favorite Christmas as a kid was the year our furnace had died and getting a new one meant my folks had nearly zero cash to “do” Christmas. We all got warm socks,(MN in winter without a furnace was a COLD!) and a few stocking stuffer type gifts and then hung out playing board games all day. My Dad was sooooo over the top enthusiastic about the few things we got that year, it was contagious and we had tons of fun.
We don’t have our decorations up yet (except our outside wreath, which I picked up from my order yesterday). I only had my Thanksgiving window clings up for 3 days before I took them down. We’ve had Christmas music going since the day before Thanksgiving, as a local radio station plays it non-stop from now until Christmas night, and I dug out my CDs and have Pandora on quite often. I love decorating for Christmas and listening to the music. We’re not buying toys for our kids this year, so it’s made getting into the spirit a little harder for me. I’m sure once we get our tree up from the basement and the decorations on it, I’ll feel more in the spirit.
We’ll probably put our tree up this weekend and I’m not looking forward to finding room for it. We don’t have a basement and have to move stuff into the baby’s room to make room for the tree. I do think the kids are really going to be excited decorating it so I’m sure I’ll be happy that day. I do love sitting in the family room with all the lights out and just the tree lit – it’s very romantic to me. We don’t really do any other decorations – I’m not very crafty or Martha Stewart like. Decorating for any holiday or just in general is so not my thing.
We are not spending as much as last year on gifts. The kids will get several small things from us, they get about a $30 gift from each godparent and my mom usually just gives us a modest check to put in their savings account. Last year I went a little overboard and most of the stuff is packed up in their closet hardly played with.
I do love baking at Christmas time and plan to get that started around the 15th. That’s when I really get into the Christmas mood
We put up everything except outside lights the Sat. after Thanksgiving. I love the Christmas experience and want it to be nice and joyful for our five kids. My shopping is almost done and our house just makes me smile.
Merry Christmas!