Why I don’t really like Christmas

It is upon us…and it’s my LEAST favorite holiday.  I’m not a Scrooge or a Grinch.  I’m a wife and mother.  

Everyone looks to me for everything.  I have to do all the planning and almost all of the execution.  Everyone expects it to be fun and memorable.  The meal.  The gifts.  The entertainment.  All on me. 

Who makes it fun and memorable for me?  Don’t get me wrong.  I do take joy in seeing my family happy, but there’s so much hype that it’s one big mess of “what’s next??”

“what are we gonna do now??”  and all eyes turn to me. 

I take more joy from Thanksgiving when everyone knows it’s a lovely meal, time spent with family, and just the process of lingering over those things we are thankful for.  There’s no expectation except that the food be good.  🙂

My family isn’t especially materialistic.  They’re always happy with what they get and never want for more.  There’s just the hype in the media and all around them that it’s hard to NOT take in that Christmas should be magical.  I spend my time fighting to see to it that they see the magic was in the birth, life, and resurrection of Christ.  There’s so much build-up that sometimes HE gets lost in the shuffle and the excitement. 

I’d rather have two Thanksgivings.