Tis’ the season to be jolly! There is just something about Christmas and the anticipation of it that makes me feel warm and fuzzy….and a little insane. Everyone is working toward the same magical morning and feels the accompanying craziness that goes along with it. So at least you know you aren’t alone! While Christmas is hands down my favorite time of year, I wanted to share some of my less than favorite things that we can hopefully all relate to. 😊 But don’t worry, it will be followed by my favorites.
And so I present Rachael’s Top Ten Things That are Not so Jolly in My Holly-day Season:
10. Hauling every single bin we own out of the attic. We have one of those pull-down attics, making it extra fun to maneuver everything out of it. I usually am the one to climb up the secure but slightly wobbly wooden staircase, get covered in insulation, dust, dead bugs, and other attic-y substances to discover that we have even more décor than we did in the previous year. I carefully work my way around half bent over and hand my husband all the huge plastic containers hoping and praying that 1. I don’t slip and fall and 2. the bin doesn’t go tumbling down the wobbly stairs and flatten something or someone. It’s really a very special activity for our family every year.
9. Christmas Hallmark movies. Please don’t hate me.
8. Repeatedly using Santa’s Naughty List as a behavioral mechanism, only to find that it really doesn’t work on my kid.
7. Colored lights. Again, please don’t hate me. And let me clarify, I do like seeing them twinkle and sparkle at other people’s houses, just not my own. My husband tries to convince me every year, but there is just something about white lights.
6. Getting to do kid-like Christmas things with our kids but getting profoundly disappointed when our kids don’t want to do the kid-like Christmas things. Who doesn’t want to do Christmas crafts for all the 25 days of Christmas?
5. The stress leading up to getting the “perfect” Santa family photo. Turns out, yes my kids are still terrified and no they want absolutely nothing to do with sitting on Santa’s lap.
4. Getting all of the gifts you bought organized for wrapping to discover you have no clue where that one gift is that you put in the very “special” hiding spot so only you could find it. Only you can’t find it. Your hiding spot is that good. It’s happened to me two years in a row now. I’m coming to terms with the fact that I probably didn’t actually buy the gift in the first place.
3. Having to continuously come up with elaborate explanations about how to get to the North Pole and where exactly it is. Especially when it’s a question that you have no predetermined answer for.
2. When you have tested all the outdoor lights, they all work, and two days after you put them up, there is a strand that doesn’t work. And it’s probably one tiny little bulb that has now not only affected that strand, but your entire front porch of lights. I feel you, Clark Griswold.
1. Wrapping. I say we eliminate wrapping paper altogether. It’s very pretty on the roll, I’ll give it that. But that’s about the only thing it has going for itself. Unless you spend $12 on a roll, chances are the paper will rip when you try to cut it. At least it always does in my wrapping experience. I then find myself trying to overcompensate for the messy looking paper by using and folding and ruining more paper. In the end, I get the gift covered, but it’s not pretty. #TeamBags
And now for Rachael’s Top Ten Things that are VERY Jolly in My Holly-day Season:
10. Eggnog
9. My husband’s love of inflatables. We currently have two, 10-foot snowmen and a four-foot Frosty in our front yard, among all of our lights, candy canes, and red and green star shower.
8. Cozying up in my PJs, with the Christmas tree lit, and watching all of our favorite Christmas movies – Home Alone, Christmas Vacation, and Elf are our top three.
7. Driving around at night to all the different neighborhoods to see Christmas lights while drinking hot chocolate in the car. We go on a hunt to find the ones that coordinate with radio music as well.
6. Our family’s tradition of opening one gift on Christmas Eve. But, per my mom’s rule, it can’t be a major gift. Those surprises must be saved for Christmas morning.
5. Thinking of and executing the most ridiculous family Christmas card.
4. Watching our kids discover Christmas magic and going all in with them on it (despite the conversations about the North Pole’s location). My husband and I really get into it. Writing letters to Santa, getting a phone call from Santa, going to Christmas tree lightings, making reindeer food. It’s all part of the crazy fun.
3. Participating in my local non-profit’s (InterAct) Holiday Bazaar. InterAct provides services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, and every year they invite their clients to come “shop” for their children. Parents can choose gifts from an entire room of donations at no cost, and children can choose gifts for their parents. It is truly magical and reminds us to think of those in need around the holidays, as these gifts are typically the only ones they will receive on Christmas morning.
2. Helping our four-year-old clean out toys he no longer needs to donate to little boys and girls who don’t have as many, if any, toys as we do. And having him genuinely want to do this and understand the gift of giving.
1. Witnessing people’s overall generosity. People paying it forward in the coffee line, people donating toys and clothes for those less fortunate, people wishing you “happy holidays” while you’re out shopping. It restores my faith in humanity and allows me to realize how many good people are in this world.
So there you have it. My two top tens of the holly-day season. The holiday bead is a colorful one. It can be a little misshapen, as the holidays can definitely be stressful. But the smooth spots are what make it all worthwhile. I hope you all have the most wonderful Christmas, in whatever way you choose to or not to celebrate. Merry Christmas-Eve everyone! Only ONE more sleep until Santa 😊