As an adult (particularly an adult with children) you realize
that along with the joy of Christmas it is also a lot of work. Between
decorating the house, buying presents, hosting/attending parties, completing
crafts with kids, it’s kind of a wonder that there is any time left. But of
course, there has to be time left because someone has to be Santa. When you’re
little you think that Santa lives at the North Pole and all his elves help him
pack up his magical sleigh to deliver gifts to good boys and girls. However, as
adults you realize that the jolly, red suited man is actually YOU and the only
elves you have are spouses, friends, and the delivery man. As I sit here
worrying about when I will find the time to wrap the presents, I wonder how my
mother ever did it. She was widowed at a young age and left to raise two very
small children on her own. When I think back on my childhood I can always
remember decorating the tree, setting up the Nativity scene, and on Christmas morning
excitedly coming down the hall to see all the presents that Santa left. My
mother lived before the age of online shopping, so how she managed to get out
alone, have money to buy presents, hide them, and make Christmas morning
magical every year is beyond me. She always got me and my brother just what we
wanted and more. I am sure that it was beyond stressful for her but she never
showed it. She always had a smile on and I think she was truly happy to make
the holidays special for us. So when I begin to worry about small things, I try
to take a minute to remind myself of just how lucky I am. I have a family that
is healthy and complete and my “problems” are actually quite miniscule in the
grand scheme of things. So the presents may not be wrapped perfectly and the
house may not be immaculate, but the children are going to wake up Christmas
morning and have the same excited face that I had as a child and I think that's pretty cool.
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| Baby Diane (13 Months Old) |
