Happy Holidays!

Happy In-Between Week! It’s the week between Christmas and New Years. For some, this means back to work. But for others, it means a great time to catch up with friends or work on uncovering your home after the deluge of Christmas presents and piling-up of laundry. For us moms, it means when our kids complain that they are bored, we remind them for the hundredth time of the army of gifts waiting for their attention.

First of all, can we all agree that it should be illegal for Christmas to land on a weekend..!? It is not helpful when trying to schedule family gatherings and it means less time off work. This year, with 3 kids, and 3 Christmases in one day, it was especially ridiculous. Actually, our family did great considering the craziness, but it was a lot. I vote Christmas is always on a weekday. Unfortunately, next year will be worse when Christmas Eve AND Christmas Day will both be on the weekend. Bummer.

Well, I s’pose that’s one more thing I have no control over. We’ll have to get creative next year to make it less stressful. Which means those who cling to tradition will be annoyed. But this year it was so clear to me that I would like at least a half a day doing Christmas with just my husband and kids. No computer, no traveling – just us – there to enjoy each other and the joy that comes with Christmas morning. And I want to get together with all the family too, and have a relaxing Christmas celebration with them. Brad and I both come from big extended families. Not only are they big, but they are close. Like, we love each other. So we are still trying to do all these Christmases.

We will just do what we can do. It means tough choices sometimes. I’m starting to see the value in a good old summertime cookout where we get together and enjoy each other. Maybe it doesn’t have to be at Christmas.

Didn’t I just this season write about how Christmas changes, but God doesn’t? When God reminded me of this fact back in November, I did not know how different this Christmas would feel. Every year it IS different. But I need to embrace the reasons why – more beautiful healthy children (biggest reason), new houses, different foods, getting older. These things are good things! They are not reason for complaint – they are reason for celebration.

I hope you can look back on your Christmas weekend and find some good in the change. And I hope you can look ahead to a New Year weekend, and make a resolution to embrace it. Happy Holidays!