This is the first post in the Christmas series at From this Kitchen Table. Be sure to come back over the next few weeks to read more thoughts, get some new recipes, and receive gift ideas. You can follow us on Facebook or subscribe by e-mail to be sure you don’t miss out!
How many of us feel relaxed, carefree, calm, joyous and able to enjoy the holiday season to the fullest as we pass Thanksgiving and move closer and closer to Christmas? I know that most of those adjectives aren’t ones that would come to the front of my mind.
The season starts with a tree and decorating inside and out. There’s practicing for school and church Christmas programs. Then throw in holiday parties and open houses, caroling, lots of holiday baking. Oh yeah, don’t forget you have to see everyone in your family and shop for presents too. The 25th arrives before you have time to breathe. You wake up early, paper is torn off presents, food is inhaled, the car loaded and unloaded. When it all ends you are tired and exhausted, wondering what happened to the day. You might even be a little relieved it’s all over.
Maybe it’s time to do things differently. Maybe it’s time to slow down and think about what we are doing. Maybe we should focus on the true reason for celebrating.
Do you know what? We don’t have to do every little (and big) thing that presents itself to us. We don’t have to say yes! If Christmas isn’t about the presents, cookies, parties, get togethers, performances, elaborate decorations, fancy meals and so forth we should be able to say no (even when it’s hard) without feeling guilty.
Let go of the pressures and expectations that normally come along with this month. Let go of trying to keep up with the Jones’. Even let go of having to keep every tradition.
The Action Plan:
Sit down with your husband (or by yourself if you are single) and go over your plans for Christmas and the month of December. Discuss what traditions are the most important to you, what memories you want to make. Decide how you want to handle visiting family and parents. It is so easy to carry rules and expectations with us from our past. It’s important to remember that you are your own family now. It’s okay if how we celebrate looks differently than our friend’s, neighbor’s, or sister’s way. Your kids and spouse will probably be happier with doing less if it means a more relaxed and happier mom and wife.
When, after having this conversation, you find yourself saying no to activities, don’t feel bad. Remember you are saying yes to the ones that are most important to your family and allowing yourself the sanity to enjoy them.
What steps do you take to ensure you actually enjoy the Christmas season and focus on what’s most important?
Come back tomorrow for gift ideas for a 2 year old! You can follow us on Facebook or subscribe by e-mail to be sure you don’t miss out!
This is so true. We have two crazy weeks then everyhthing should slow down with Co-op Parties and various programs for the 5 kiddos and I will be practicing the gracious “No thank you”. this post is a sweet reminder of what is important in Christamas. Thanks! (Visiting from Growing Home)
Thank you so much for stopping by! Hope you get through the next couple of weeks and can enjoy them inspite of the business and enjoy saying no after that. 🙂 Keeping my focus upward helps my perspective and ability to choose what to do. Have a great week!
This is so wise! All year long we need to be doing this too (LOL) when so many activities come knocking on our door. Especially at Christmastime, the world shouts even louder. Focusing on God and important things will make us all a bit saner and enjoy the holidays. I’m going to be “scheduling” you on FB! Thanks for stopping by, I’m glad I stopped back! 😉
Blessings, Nicole
Thank you, Nicole! I’m glad you stopped by too. I enjoy your blog! Yes. Things get busy the rest of the year but Christmas time seem to be twice as bad. Slowing down enables me to keep the focus in the right place and enjoy making memories with my family. I’m going to have to start implementing your scheduling strategy! 🙂
Oh, I truly love this. I have kind of made it a point to stop and smell the roses this year for Christmas. I am taking the time to do Christmas crafts with my kids and enjoying doing said crafts, I’m not stressing about shopping or presents or what on earth I’m going to make for Christmas. I’m just kind of going with it. I’m doing the things I want my kids to remember and doing things that can get done and if the rest doesn’t, well then there is always next year. This season is meant to be enjoyed and so many people forget that. Thank you so much for sharing this post and linking it up to Thrifty Thursday.
Yes, that is so key – not just doing the projects and activities but enjoying it! This week has been a crazy one and not a ton of slowing down and enjoying has gone on. I’m going to attempt to live the next few weeks more relaxed and making memories that we want. Love your mindset of not worrying about what doesn’t get done. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and for hosting Thrifty Thursday! Love your link up.
I love this! So many of us feel obliged to fulfil so many commitments that we wear ourselves and our families out. There is such great practical advice here.
Thanks for sharing at Essential Fridays.
Blessings
Mel from Essential Thing Devotions
Thank you for your kind words, Mel! There is just so much going on it can be hard to prioritize. This year I really want to enjoy the season.
“It’s important to remember that you are your own family now.” That is so true of many situations. 🙂 Good reminder! I hope you are blessed with the calm Christmas season you desire. 🙂
Isn’t it! So glad that my parents are super about letting (even encouraging) us to make decisions that are best for our family. Thanks! Hope you have a wonderful Christmas too.
I love the thought of sitting down and making a plan. I think that is where I need to start. This year becasue of a lot of thing happening Christmas has snuck up on me and I find myself a little lost on where to start! I am going to be sharing this one too on the FB page this week becasue I am sure my readers would love it!
Making a plan makes a huge difference! It’s hard to make ourselves be okay with keeping it simple – so easy to think I need to do more and plan more to have the perfect Christmas. So not true though! Thanks for sharing! You are awesome.
Thank you for this. I wish more people would just slow down and remember that Christmas isn’t about gifts, stuff, and things. It seems like this year has become worse in the department of rude, selfish, and hateful.
Yes! I completely agree. And why do people feel the need to cram parties and appreciation dinners and this and that into December. What’s wrong with doing them another month?
You are so right! I feel as if Christmas has sadly turned into a “Hallmark Holiday.” 🙁 Makes me sad. We should appreciate everything we have and what we are grateful for year-round. We should help those in need every moment we get, not just Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas when we gather around family and have a reminder that there are those out there who don’t have family and those that don’t even have a roof over our heads. I’m just a simple person who wants a simple life and some people don’t even have that to appreciate. I’m very sympathetic and empathetic. I wish the world would just slow down sometimes and take a look around them.
That is true, it really does seem to have. It’s become about stuff and retailers and what we want. Love what you said about living that way all the time, not just 3 days a year. We really have been blessed with so much. When I feel rushed, busy, and chaotic it is so hard for me to slow down and truly enjoy my family and all the “little” things around me.
I enjoyed this post. We have simplified our Christmas in different areas, but my husband and I are pleased with how it is going. Our family focus has been on Christ, pointing the celebration of this Christmas season back to Him. Thank you for your ministry through your blog. Blessings to you!
Hooray for simplifying! It can be hard to say the initial nos, but it helps so much. We are doing less around here too – less decorating, less traveling, fewer parties and I’m still busy enough. I hope I take the time to enjoy the small moments. I’m looking forward to seeing what we do differently next year. Thanks for stopping by.
I never had a problem with this until we had kids. Now I feel like, especially this time of year, we have to say yes to every play date or party invite for the kids. Then I get overwhelmed adding that to all the stuff I want to do with them and as a family. I think I will try to streamline next week a little now 🙂
Yes, yes, yes. I completely hear you. It is a bit of a pet peeve of mine that every business, school, friend, church etc. feels the need to plan parties, appreciation dinners, this and that at Christmas. Can’t we appreciate or party a different time of year when it’s not quite so crazy? 🙂 Anyway, I hope that you find the time to enjoy your family next week and make special memories.
Great post Deanna and so very true. Last year as I sat alone on the floor with a glass a wine and tears in my eyes, exhausted and a pile of dirty dishes surrounding me while my kids went to their in-laws for dessert and my husband was driving elderly parents back home I proclaimed Christmas 2013 was going to be different. Taking the time to STOP and reflect about where I was putting my energy was a real eye opener. This year we are taking our kids and their significant others to a ski resort for Christmas. No cooking, no cleaning, no hosting – just time together relaxing and enjoying each other’s company. I can’t wait!
Glad I found your post over at the PINcentive Blog Hop. Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas!
That’s so sad about Christmas last year. It seems the holiday invokes those kind of emotions for so many people though. Your Christmas this year sounds incredible! How nice it will be to just get away with everyone and make memories. My parents took all of their kids and families on a summer vacation a year and half ago and it was one of the best times ever. So relaxing and enjoyable.
This year for Christmas my husband’s family is coming the weekend before and we’ll spend the actual day with just our little family and head south to my parents the weekend after. (I’m really looking forward to that, we get to stay a week and a half!)
Thanks for stopping by.