I allow myself one holiday freak-out every Christmas season.
Consider this IT.
This is usually the culmination of the stress of holiday gift making and buying, and my house feeling about ready to burst at the seams.
Before I begin, let me make it clear. I love giving and receiving gifts, and I love Christmas.
Here it goes.
In preparing for the Christ child, I am also knee-deep in preparing my home to accommodate more stuff. Not by choice, but out of the realization that the way I want to celebrate Christmas does not line up with how most folks indeed celebrate - by giving a lot of stuff. So I go through the perfectly good stuff we already have, and decide what to get rid of to make room for the new stuff we don't need.
Really, I am not the Grinch. I just wish that there was a way to convince more of our family to exchange gifts that don't require consumerism to run rampant. And remember that I am ranting here, I have actually tried SOOOO many different ways of changing their minds. Out of my control.
Did anybody read this blog post by the Nester a few months ago ? Hello, my name is Tami, and I am a stuff manager. Sad.
It hit home and made me really sad. But in this situation and in most situations, I feel like it is out of my control. Too big of a tradition to change, in our family anyway. So, I continue purging my house that is already small by most standards. For a lady, that leans towards minimalism anyway, Christmas nearly puts me over the edge.
Once this freak-out is out of my system, I will carry on. I will watch Christmas movies, and light Advent candles, and bake cookies, and I will even buy my kids things they don't need, and I will remember the reason for the season, for it is certainly not to make me insane.
Have a peaceful day, Tami
Great post and I totally agree with you. Our Christmas got out of control with gift buying and giving a few years back and we have been downsizing a bit each year since...trying to simplify and give gifts with more meaning rather than just give presents to open. I am not completely where I want to be with this, but heading the right direction, I think. We also downsized our Christmas decorations this year as well, which I posted about yesterday. Enjoy the season and Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteOur exchanges have become much more manageable with my family. We have stopped with some members and down sized with others. It's been two or three years that we only do America made gifts with my dad. (that's when knitting gifts comes in handy!!) I think once the kids get older it will get way easier with the extended family. My fingers are crossed.
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