It's December 1st! Hooray, it's a wonderful time of year! Wait, is it really?
Honestly, I have to say, today has not been the best day so far. I was all set to welcome this wonderful Christmas season with a carol in my heart when I awoke to sick children (like the pukey kind), throw-up laundry, dishes in the sink, schoolwork to be done, and Christmas decorations that have yet to find their home. To top it off, I've been feeling a little under the weather and have no energy to even put juice into sippy cups. I have a list of things to do (who doesn't) in order to make this Christmas season meaningful and yet simpler than before.
So, I've decided to ban the Martha Stewart-spirit from my home. If you haven't noticed, I have a tendency to be a perfectionist. This season, I'm letting go. Yes, I want everything to be beautiful and wonderful for my family and selfishly, myself. This is just me being honest here. However, I am not willing to sacrifice my time and energy with my family to make sure everything is "just so". I think about the story in the Bible about Mary and Martha (wait, could her last name have been Stewart?) and I'm reminded what my priorities should, no, need to be.
This being said, if you receive Christmas cards with stamps on them upside down or little scribbles on the backs of the envelopes, it's because I just closed my eyes and shoved them in the mailbox before I could "fix" the things my three helpers may have "helped" with.
Now that I have purged myself of the holiday grumpiness, I feel much better and feel like I can sing "Joy to the World" with a happy heart. I hope your season is filled with lots of help from your "helpers" and wonderful memories that will be made. And, yes, it really is a wonderful time of year!
3 comments:
Oh Jamie... I am so sorry you are all sick... yucky! If it makes you feel any better, we caught it too. My girls and Bobby just recooped and now Josiah and I are yucky now! Oh I am praying for you, my friend!
I love that you are simplifying... sometimes you just have to put through your hands up in the air and say "Oh well." :)
Hugs.. Amy
Ooh sorry about all the yuckies! We had some of those last week. I agree about the simplifying!! I read a book last year called "Mary, Martha & Me..." & I think it's time for me to read it again. It of course talked about how us women often get caught up with all the little things we could be doing & how to put our focus on what really is important. Definitely no martha stewart at this house this year being that ALL our decoration stuff is in storage-forcing me to simplify! Hope you guys are better soon!
I'm sorry you aren't feeling well. A couple of mine were not as sick but, had stomach aches today. Hope you get better quick.
Looking back, the "there's nothing I can do about Christmas times" have been some of the most meaningful for me. Since all I could do was focus on the essentials. I hope it is like that for you too.
Love you.
Kari
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