mamiof5 Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 Yup! Totally up to me. But I am flexible, and also delegate. Love it :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 I should add that my 11 year old put up the decorations this year! ALL of them! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 I am wrecked. We don't even do huge Christmases, but the week before was just endless running around, and now I can hardly keep my eyes open. I think I need to hibernate for a week. Wrecked here, too. And we have party after party for this week - each takes an entire day, like 7-8 hours. I want to hide. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 I LOVE these ideas. One question though (for you or whoever else does #2)... how do you shop all year and get things people want? I feel like my kids' interests change and evolve so much. I love the IDEA of shopping far ahead of time but it's hard to imagine the things that seem perfect in July will still be on target. Or maybe I just have really fickle kids! I don't shop for my kids' wants. :o I shop to get things my kids will want. :) This Christmas there were exactly two things my children asked for that were under the tree: a book for my oldest that just came out and a set of books for my youngest that he has trouble getting his hands on at the library. The rest of the things were items we had picked out because we either saw a need for them (like a maze balance board - winning!!) or it was something we figured our kids would enjoy no matter what (like a box of nice art supplies). And everything was picked with its place in our house already in mind, so we don't struggle to find homes for it all the day after. Our oldest stopped giving us suggestions years ago because he liked our picks better. I very rarely buy something I know is going to be a fad, like character items. I look for staying power, and that gives me a little bit more flexibility in when I buy a gift to set aside. :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1GirlTwinBoys Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 Yes, it's mainly up to me, but I love every minute of it. :hurray: Am I the only one who is a fanatic about Christmas? Me too! We have a lot of fun traditions that we do and I enjoy it. It can get tiring but not to the point that I feel like I'm irritable. I don't get pressured to do things that I don't want to do though by friends or other family members. We stay at our home for Thanksgiving and I make a big dinner for my husband and kids. Sometimes my mom will be here with us but that's it. We don't travel for Christmas and my kids have ALWAYS been at their home on Christmas Day and we stay here. I think these things make a big difference honestly. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 Me too! We have a lot of fun traditions that we do and I enjoy it. It can get tiring but not to the point that I feel like I'm irritable. I don't get pressured to do things that I don't want to do though by friends or other family members. We stay at our home for Thanksgiving and I make a big dinner for my husband and kids. Sometimes my mom will be here with us but that's it. We don't travel for Christmas and my kids have ALWAYS been at their home on Christmas Day and we stay here. I think these things make a big difference honestly. That's pretty much the same way we do Thanksgiving and Christmas. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMommy Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 Me too! We have a lot of fun traditions that we do and I enjoy it. It can get tiring but not to the point that I feel like I'm irritable. I don't get pressured to do things that I don't want to do though by friends or other family members. We stay at our home for Thanksgiving and I make a big dinner for my husband and kids. Sometimes my mom will be here with us but that's it. We don't travel for Christmas and my kids have ALWAYS been at their home on Christmas Day and we stay here. I think these things make a big difference honestly. You just summed up November and December in our house. We don't go anywhere, and we almost never have anyone here on the actual holiday, although DH's parents always come a day or two after Christmas, and that's when we have our fancy Christmas dinner. I'm the self-proclaimed bearer of Christmas cheer around here...I find fun things for us to do, create traditions, cook, bake, decorate, buy and wrap all the gifts, plan all the special school activities...it's exhausting, but I love it! And every Christmas is perfect for us, because we're together doing all the things we love to do. I can't imagine NOT doing the things I do, and I don't mind at all that it's all up to me. I would be happy to have a long winter's nap after Epiphany, though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamiof5 Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 Yes, it's mainly up to me, but I love every minute of it. :hurray: Am I the only one who is a fanatic about Christmas? Another fanatic here!! I just love it, hectiness and all :) Merry Christmas!!!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 Sort of. I don't feel pressure about gifts for the girls. But it's just more of, I pick the gifts, I figure out where to buy them, I send DH here or there or order online myself, I plan the meal, I make the grocery list, I wrap the presents... it's just tiring sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 DH did almost all of the CHristmas shopping, we decorated together, and while I baked cookies and made candy, both he and the kids helped a lot with cooking. Even though we had two big meals, it still wasn't hectic. I felt pretty relaxed about the whole Christmas experience. Entertaining guests went well too since even though they were family members, I still feel responsible for keeping them happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingmama Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 Can't you just go buy some more gifts to even things up if you feel so bad? Two of my kids got Shopkins stuffies that they have been really wanting. I didnt bother with third kid because he didnt indicate he wanted one. When the other two were playing together with theirs and third kid joined in and was using an old stuffy I went out and bought him one at the boxing day sales...no harm done. My kids know mum doesnt always get it right but does try to make up for my failings lol. I am not sure why Christmas has to be magical. The extent of the magic in my house is kid decorated tree ..check...presents they asked for under the tree..check... Food for DH and I becuase my kids never eat Christmas food or any food at all as they are too excited ...check... thats it.... Everything else is just gravy if we get to it. We didnt even get to make cookies this year.. so we are going to make some this week now that we have time. My kids seem just as content and happy with a mum that tries then with one that is perfect. But then I never pretended to be perfect.. I knew from the start I never would be so I let my kids in on the not perfect but trying mum pretty early LOL. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 I have had that feeling in the past. I have gotten better at knowing my limits and erring on the side of doing less vs. trying unsuccessfully to do more. As the kids get older, they are able to inject some of their own magic into the equation. I found that really helpful this year, as I slogged trying to do 3 weeks of work in the 1 week before Christmas (so we could then travel for 2 weeks). This year was pretty bad as far as extended family. I did buy all the gifts, but I got nothing wrapped / gift-bagged by the time I was supposed to go visiting on Christmas day. I had cards and Christmas photos ready, but didn't get them addressed before Christmas. Then on Christmas day, I found out my 6pm flight was canceled and we were moved to a 2:15 flight. We found this out around 11:30. Bout lost my marbles and I missed visiting my parents and dropping off the gifts for everyone else. Big fail, but honestly, it was nice to be able to blame the airline and let that go! I was already on a guilt trip for missing the late Christmas extended family get-together in favor of traveling - bad me! Now I ditched my parents for the second holiday in a row. I can't do anything about it now. No point worrying about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Oh, I hear you. Last night I dreamed I was in hospital and it was a relief. Compulsory, doctor ordered time out from life. Jammies and jello. Sounds perfectly wonderful. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnMyOwn Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 Yes and no. We have Christmas at my mom's so the real pressure is on her, though I do help quite a bit with the meals, cleanup, etc. The thing I have the hardest time with is gifts for my kids. They are just not that interested in things and they don't give me much to work with in the way of lists lately. I don't enjoy shopping and I dislike wasting money on buying things just to buy them. If someone has something they really want, then I'm happy to get it. But if they don't, I feel a lot of pressure trying to come up with gift ideas that will make them happy (even though I know it is the rare gift that is really going to thrill them). This year, I was in Walmart, looking for stocking stuffers and wishing I never had to do it again. It is just starting to feel so wasteful to me. Bah humbug! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraw4321 Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 Yes. All the cooking, all the decorating, all the present selecting/buying/wrapping. Christmas card making. Family picture calendar making. Caroling party. Gingerbread house making / decorating. Crafting. We draw secret saints on one side of the family - I bought/wrapped for the person my DH got. We went out of town this year for the first time since our kids were born. I didn't bother bringing my stocking to set up there because I knew that no one would have anything to put in it. I was right. My kids love it. My husband couldn't care less either way, so there's no point in wishing it were different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pehp Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 I don't, but I think that's because I don't recall "magical" Christmases of my childhood, either. I loved Christmas and enjoyed spending time with my family and LOVED getting gifts (who doesn't?!) but that's pretty much it. Everything is up to me, though: I buy ALL the gifts (except my own), do ALL the baking, ALL the Christmas card designing and mailing, ALL the decorating, ALL the food planning (extensive due to crazy dietary issues here), ALL the wrapping...etc.(My husband does cut down the tree and he typically puts the outdoor decorations up.) So I have had to really learn what I can do and what I cannot do, just to regulate my own stress level. What I can do, I do (and try to do early) and what I can't do, I let go of entirely. My children woke up Christmas morning and had a merry time....that's what matters to me. This year I totally forgot to do our Advent readings. And a few days after Christmas they finished their Advent calendar chocolates because....I forgot to do that every day, too. No guilt, though...I just decided that meant they got the pleasure of gorging on extra chocolate one day!! ;) It's all in how you frame it........don't be too hard on yourself!! :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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