Hey moms,
I see you on your sixth trip to Walmart this week, waiting in line with a cart full of food to cook for all the meals that need made for the holidays. I see you that you remembered the cinnamon rolls your kids love for Christmas morning and the milk to go with Santa’s cookies on Christmas Eve. I see that you remember all the little things to make the days surrounding Christmas special.
I see you staying up late after long days to wrap Christmas presents. You put thought and care into the wrapping, the bows, the tags. I see you making lists and checking off which gifts are bought and which ones still need purchased (another trip to the store). I see you arranging family and friends’ gifts under the tree, and I see you sneaking to put the others in the hiding places to be saved for Christmas morning.
I see you racing around in the morning to find something for your kid to wear for holiday dress-up days. You are already rushed in the mornings, but you don’t want your kid to miss out on the fun, so you find clothing and accessories for snowflake day, reindeer day, and Christmas pajama day. I see you helping with school holiday parties, buying pipe cleaners and goldfish, for little ones to enjoy. And of course, I see you spending time and money on gifts for teachers because you always go out of your way to make others feel loved.
I see you searching coordinating family outfits online, buying them specifically for Christmas pictures. I see you spending time making Christmas cards for family and friends. You struggle to find the time to address and stamp all the envelopes and get them out in time for Christmas, but each year, you find a way to get it done.
I see you planning out Christmas activities for your family. You make sure cookies are made, Christmas movies are watched, the house and tree are decorated, a trip is made to look at Christmas lights, gingerbread houses are created. I see all of the traditions that are carried on each year because of you.
I see you moving that dang elf. I see you wondering who even came up with the idea of having an elf who moves every night, and I see you question that individual’s sanity. But, you still participate. You stay up late to move the elf after everyone is in bed, or you wake up early the next day to change his location because you know your children will be looking for him the minute they open their eyes. I see you make messes and blame it on the elf, knowing you’ll be the one cleaning it up. And I know why – because you love to hear the giggles and joy that come from finding the elf and seeing the mischief he causes.
I see you on Christmas Eve, ensuring the Christmas pajamas are on and “The Night Before Christmas” is read. I see the plate of cookies and milk set out, and the note left on the counter that you patiently spelled out the words for. I see the reindeer food sprinkled on the sidewalk. I see you stay up late, waiting for the sleep to happen after the excitement of the day, and I see you quietly fill the tree with presents and stuff the stockings before falling into bed.
Moms are the ones who inspire the magic that surrounds Christmas.
We are the ones behind-the-scenes, trying to make the big moments unforgettable by remembering all the small details – we must have Christmas themed plates and napkins. We absolutely have to have matching family pajamas. We need coordinating bows to match the wrapping paper.
And we do it because we want to make it special. We want our children to feel the magic of Christmas. We want to help them build memories that will last forever. Seeing our children filled with wonder, joy, excitement – that’s something that nothing else can beat. That’s why we do it.
But, do we, as moms, allow ourselves to enjoy all the magic that we spend time creating for everyone else? Moms, we deserve magic, too!
I think that, sometimes, we are so tired from all the preparing and planning, that we don’t get to actually enjoy the outcomes of our efforts. We want to, but when we’re exhausted, we aren’t always able to be in the moment like we wish to be. My favorite thing about Christmas is being woken up by my son, early in the morning, telling me that Santa came. Nothing compares to the excitement of Christmas morning and seeing the light in my child’s eyes as he walks downstairs to see what has been left for him under the tree. I never want to be too tired or worn out to enjoy this moment. How ironic is it that we spend so much time preparing for Christmas day that we are sometimes too exhausted to even enjoy it when it comes?
We need to find a way to relax, to quiet our busy minds, so we can enjoy the holiday. I know, easier said than done, right? So, if you what you need is a nap or a bubble bath, take it. If you what you need is a little wine in your hot chocolate, pour it in there! If what you need is to make a cast to put on your elf’s leg, so he doesn’t move for a few days due to injury, do it! (They sell them on Amazon. They are well worth the money.)
Imagine all the fun we can create with our children by putting all the preparing aside and just allowing ourselves to feel the joy of Christmas.
We put an incredible amount of stress on ourselves trying to make everything perfect because we want the holidays to be special and memorable. This type of mindset, this pressure we put on ourselves, can be extremely anxiety-inducing. As moms, we are doers. We have an internal need to make to-dos lists and check every task off as we accomplish it. But, Moms should we able to revel in the spirit of the holidays, too. It’s okay if not every Christmas-related activity gets done during the month of December. We don’t absolutely need pictures of Santa and our dogs, guys.
It’s the moments that we get to spend laughing and smiling with our loved ones that count.
So, I say, cherish that time watching Christmas movies and snuggling on the couch, instead of racing around to buy last minute gifts. Embrace the flour, the sprinkles, and the icing mess that goes along with building gingerbread houses and baking cookies, instead of worrying about a clean kitchen. Do what you can for holiday parties and dress-up days but don’t let these take up all of your time and effort. Make sure you save some energy to drive around and look at Christmas lights, drink hot chocolate and sing Christmas carols, or just to spend time together around the holidays doing whatever it is your family does.
Moms want to create Christmas spirit by buying, cooking, cleaning, decorating, wrapping (the list can go on and on), but the spirit of Christmas isn’t something to be created. Christmas spirit is already there – red-nosed reindeer, Santa fitting down chimneys, a flying sleigh. Embrace and treasure it.
Our children aren’t going to remember perfectly wrapped presents and tied bows. They aren’t going to remember how much money we spent on toys and candy. They probably aren’t even going to remember what they got for Christmas a year from now. But, what they will remember – the fun of getting to do all the things that only happen once a year, and they’ll remember that they got to do it with you, mom.
Don’t spend so much time trying to make everything perfect, that you let the fun of the holidays sneak by you. It can be such a relief to be the fun-loving mom, instead of the (trying to be) perfect mom.
So, this is a reminder this Christmas: Soak it up, momma. Embrace the magic.