It's that special time of year again.
A time of joy, love, peace and good will toward our fellow man.
We look on it with fear and dread.
We long for there to be more hours in the day and more money in our bank accounts.
The children maybe nestled all snug and envisioning sugar plums or whatever,
but the adults are scrambling to get it all done; running on caffeine, fast food and not enough sleep.
We are bombarded with commercials that promise if we shop in a certain store we will be able to accomplish amazing feats of giving, baking, decorating and staying within our budgets.
Images of shiny red luxury vehicles glistening in the snow replete with a huge red ribbon are lighting up our HD TVs. All you need to do is wish and it will be out in your driveway on Christmas morning.
I'm not buying into the hype this year!
I'm trying to keep the true meaning of the holiday season in the forefront of my mind this year. I am trying to remember that it is not just about what we buy and how we decorate or how many cookies we bake.
In my house, growing up, Christmas was a marathon of cooking, decorating, baking, cleaning, shopping and wrapping. My mother loved to entertain on the holidays. She set a high bar and I have always tried to live up to her ideals.
But, over the past few years, I have come to realize that maybe she over did it just a smidge.
I have tried to pare it down to less cookies and less shopping and being more present than actually giving presents.
No easy task. I have become a holiday perfectionist. If I can't get it all in; from writing out cards to finding the perfect gift you didn't know you wanted; I feel like a failure.
But if the past year has taught me anything, it is how to put things in perspective. I have learned that being perfect and getting it all done isn't as important as being present in my life and spending time with the people I love doing things that make me and others happy.
So I will shop, bake, decorate, wrap, watch Christmas movies, bask in the glow of my family and friends, and I will try to remember what the whole point of the season is: LOVE.
So true, Cin It's almost as if we all become lab rats this time of year, running and running on a never ending treadmill, and feeling as if we are never good enough. Hard to unplug. Every year we say we'll do it, and every year we continue to stress out and race to the finish. I hope you manage to slow down and achieve your goal.
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