Live, Love, Blend:
Are YOU a Christmas Casualty?
We’ve all heard the expression, “in like a lion out like a lamb.” Well, that’s how I describe the Christmas season… especially for mothers. First it sneaks quietly through the grass, stalking you before Halloween has even had a chance to clear the shelves. Then, November comes and, with hardly a glance at what is quickly becoming the forgotten holiday of giving thanks, in rushes Christmas with a loud roar and a thousand twinkling lights.
At first you think you can stay ahead; you’ve started shopping early, right? Your family took Christmas card pictures in August (we actually did!). You have become an expert at scheduling your busy blended family, so what are a couple extra school performances and a holiday party or two thrown in the mix? No problem, right?
Related: What Matters Most: There’s No Place Like Home For The Holidays.. Unless Mama Is Stressed!
Until somewhere around mid-December you feel the lion gaining on you. Suddenly there’s only two more days to get free shipping. And then you start getting text messages from the ex asking to have the kids for a few extra days for their family ski trip, from your parents asking which church service you’ll be attending, and from your son’s math teacher reminding you that the semester is almost over and he has just a few precious days to pull up his math grade. Not to mention three Christmas parties have landed on the same night, every group and club wants Secret Santa gifts that are suddenly all due tomorrow, and why the heck didn’t you save all your vacation days so you could just take the entire month off?!
Related: Our Story Begins: The Dichotomy of the Single Parent
I’m going to hazard a guess that I am not the only mother feeling like the zebra who has just been caught. But wait a second!!
Christmas is not here to devour us but quite the opposite. It’s all about a lamb, sent to earth to give us HOPE. Because of this lamb we can take all of the pressures and worries that we have loaded upon our shoulders and turn them over to Him.
Take a breath, make a couple of lists. First, prioritize what actually MUST be done and when. Then, make a list of the people you need to put first during this busy time. Stick to that. Give yourself a break. Have a glass of wine. Call a friend.
Christmas will be just fine whether or not you make it to every party or school function, whether or not your tree looks perfect, whether or not your kids get better gifts from their other set of parents. Christmas will be fine as soon as you remember that it’s all about LOVE, and that includes you Mom.
You are loved.
Merry Christmas.
