Yikes! I went to look at my blog (is that narcissistic?) and discovered that I fell of the face of th earth! Well, almost . . . I just haven't posted an entry in so long that there was nothing current to read.
Why? You KNOW the answer to this question! I'm meeting myself around corners. I'm at panic stage because many of my Christmas gifts need to be ordered and then they need to be mailed. I'm just about out of time. I have cookies to bake, decorating to do - still, cards to write and this is a busy time of year for my job. We won't even be home for Christmas!
When will I blog??!! I value your opinion and while I may not return comments, PLEASE tell me how to make this season sane????
Are you kidding? There is no way to make this season sane--short of "opting out", that is. Which I highly recommend!!
One of the best decisions I made when HH and I split up (1977) was to call off having anything to do with the year-end holidays. Gifting may be done at any time during the year--for any occasion, or no occasion at all. I did not even send cards out--not even to my parents. Everyone took it in good grace, and I maintained that stance pretty much until HH and I re-married (1988). It certainly helped my mental health status!
Cop Car - Two years ago, I went back to school to earn an administrative license - something I swore I wouldn't do. Not only was I in school, but some genius decided that I needed to be on the fast track and designed my program to be completed in 16 months instead of 24 months. Christmas? What holiday? Didn't even notice it go by. I didn't send out cards last year. Someone else wrote the annual letter. I went with the family to pick out the Christmas tree but didn't put one single ornament or light on it. I didn't bake any cookies - my daughters did that. I told my husband who has never participated in the process of determining what to give or the process of buying and wrapping that if he wanted to see anything under the tree for anyone, he was in charge. It was dismal. I hated it and vowed that I would do Christmas differently this year.
Unfortunately, I haven't. I've come to hate December. Ho, ho, ho.
I know that you're right. I gotta cut something out - a lot of somethings. I have two teenagers. I need to be a model of how to "keep Christ in Christmas"; a model of how to celebrate without maxing out credit cards; a model of how not to hate the holidays because one is so trapped in all the doing. It would make sense to enlist their help and to ask their opinion. Some day.
I hope that "someday" will be soon, because your girls are growing up!
I planned to blog about it, but I'll give you the short version here. We're skipping the live Christmas tree in the living room this year. I have fake trees in other parts of the house, and I have stockings and a wreath, and poinsettias and garland up...but we finally decided enough is enough.
I wrap a few presents every day, and I'm just getting started on cookies this week. Our personal Christmas will be much simpler.
We've tried to make sure that everyone who provides services for us during the year is remembered, and that's been the most satisfying aspect of the last month, for me.