Bah Humbug!

The important things are spending time with each other.  Making memories will last a lifetime.  I love your choice of reading and treats.  Your children will never forget these things.   

Hi Amy- I think a lot of people, especially moms, will be shaking their heads in agreement when reading this.  We all tend to set the expectations high, trying to do everything that we think will make Christmas meaningful, and miss what it's really all about. 

                                            Thank you, Amy. 

Good for you, choosing the most meaningful and important traditions for your family makes perfect sense. We can't do it all, regardless of our age.  Recently, I was finding myself growing frustrated while putting lights on a tree in our yard. It's very high and I using a pole to place lights - and it kept getting tangled in branches. My frustration level was increasing - finally I stepped away and sat on the porch. I realized the task should bring me joy - and when I stopped trying to set them in the branches "perfectly" the magic happened.  Enjoy every drop of the season, Amy.  Sounds like you've got your priorities in place.  D 

And this is the most important blog post of the season. This has been a trying year for my family. I have five daughters and a generous spirit, and the girls and their spouses and the grandkids, of course, are spoiled. But so have their closest friends been, and so many others. THANK YOU for this wonderful reminder. This year will be different from all the others and I can't wait 

Good morning Amy. Each of us must decide what matters to us and what is important. I hope you have a good holiday.

Yes, we should all do what makes us feel happy and in the "spirit." If something makes us feel frazzled, we should just stop doing it!

Hello Amy - that combination of perspective along with time spent on this planet combine to help us decide/sort the important things in life. Good for you!

Good morning Amy Brotherman ,

I love your wise message of relax the expectations!! I'm proud of you and hope many take heed to your advice.

I know so many people can relate to this.  I was just lamenting the other day that I'm glad to have Thanksgiving weekend "off" but actually all I will be doing will be cooking, cleaning, dragging out the decorations, doing errands and will be more exhausted than if I wasn't "off" from work! LOL!

Great post Amy. I always wonder how my mother did everthing with 11 children in the house. Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving with your family.

Hi Amy Brotherman agreed! Relax and enjoy the real meaning of Christmas and what that means to each of us. My Mom had 8 kids and just thinking of all the craziness makes my head spin. My birthday was Christmas Eve and somehow she always managed to make it special and stand out too. But...as soon as Christmas Eve service was over it was Christmas!

I also love Christmas and advent calendars and weekly Sunday night advent time are my favorites.

This is so true and glad you worked it out and have avoided burnout.

OMG, I love this post, Amy and honestly don't think my boys will ever have the realization that you shared - that things were just magically done by your own Mom and how much work it does take. That is so true and I also think you've laid out THE only important things about the season. The rest is simply fluff - keep it simple and remember the reason for the season. 

You definitely have me in your corner.  I believe that things change over time and even if they don't change organically, sometimes we just have to make a conscious decision to change things.  It's okay for us to create new traditions and it's okay if they evolve over time.  I stopped stressing out over Christmas years ago.  If I recall correctly, things changed for we when retailers started putting up Christmas decorations in August. 

Amy, this is a great post. I understand better than most men do. My first wife had health challenges, and I didmost of the Christmas prep!