Why does December have to be so busy?
Sat Dec 09, 2006 at 06:44:41 AM PDT
It's 9:07 on a Saturday morning. I'm sitting in the bonus room with my kids while they watch a little Playhouse Disney. This room, like the rest of the house, is a DISASTER...toys scattered everywhere, blankets and pillows strewn across the floor, bills to be paid stacked up by the computer...I'll spare you more details. All you need to know is that almost every other room in the house looks about the same.
Why are we inundated by mess this sunny, cold Saturday morning? Because it is December and we are TOO busy!
It is the month of shopping, decorating, party-going, planning, and traveling--it's barely begun and I'm already feeling a bit overwhelmed. (And, to top it all, it's nearing the end of the school semester, so I've got a LOT of papers to grade). I've seen a few people post up on the craziness already--I'm sure I'm not the only one feeling the stress this weekend.
The youngest and I have been up since 5:07 a.m. and I've been in "to-do" mode all day. I've washed, dried and folded two loads of laundry. I wrote out the grocery shopping list. I've made breakfast two times (waffles at 5 am--eggs at 8 am). Cleaned up the kitchen. Loaded and started the dishwasher. Sorted through the stack of student papers I brought home to grade and identified the most pressing bits of grading.
What's left to do?
Wrap some Christmas presents.
Go grocery shopping.
Iron everything in the overflowing green laundry basket.
Put up some more Christmas decorations (the five-year old is not satisfied with what I've done so far--a Nutcraker on the mantle isn't festive enough for his taste--especially not when the neighbors have a whole festival of lights going on in their front yard).
Call several relatives regarding holiday-get-together plans.
Make eggplant dip for Supper Club tomorrow (our holiday get together).
Email the babysitter to confirm a time for next weekend's holiday party.
Buy juice boxes for the five year old's Christmas party.
Buy tortilla chips and salsa for the toddler's Christmas party....
...I think that's it...but if I went downstairs to look at my list, I'm sure that I'd remember more things that MUST be done. And, there's so much I COULD do that I probably won't (mail Christmas cards, Secret Santa, etc.)
Ok--enough whining--What to do about it? Here's another list of "to dos" I need to keep in mind:
Slow down.
Don't sweat the mess and stress.
Get out the Advent Calendar and daily revisit the story of the first Christmas.
Treasure the extra time with my family and friends.
Focus on the stuff that makes this time of year special--celebration, generousity, love, music, good food, the promise of a fresh start.
Enjoy a glass of wine now and again.
....Ok...back to the fray! Hope everyone is doing their best to stay clear of Holiday Madness.
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