‘Twas the Day After Christmas

‘Twas the day after Christmas, and all through my house, I was the only one up early - not my kids or my spouse.

The children were home for a full week out of school, and I was racking my brain trying to find things for them to do.

But the week between Christmas and New Year’s is my favorite time of year; as the gifts have been bought and we’ve spread all our cheer.

The stressful month leading up to it, all the merriment abound - now it’s time to relax and slow down….

Well, you get the point – and I apologize for getting carried away.  I blame it on being in total holiday overload for the past several weeks! 

Every year I tell myself that I’m not going to over-do-it with spending too much, trying to do too much and stressing myself out trying to make everything perfect for the holidays. 

But every year on the day after Christmas, the only thing I can think of is how much I over-did-it, how much we over-spent, and how stressed I was trying to make everything perfect for the holidays.

It’s always at this point though that I can finally relax and enjoy what’s left of the holiday season.  With all of the holiday hustle and bustle now behind us, I can now look forward to spending some time with my younger two children who are off school and my oldest son who is home from college for his first Winter break. 

There’s always a lot to do this week though.  We have to pack up all of the holiday decorations and drag them back up to the attic.  It never fails that we always forget to pack one tiny Christmas tree or strand of lights after we’ve already put the stuff away which usually just gets thrown in the top of our hall closet until next year.

I’m thankful this year that everyone liked their gifts and for the most part the clothes all fit, so we have very little to return.  This is great because unlike last year, I’m vowing to stay clear of the stores this week and hold off on hitting the after Christmas sales – at least for another week until the crowds die down a little.

As I think back on the past month or so leading up to today, I can’t help but remember one evening when I came home completely exhausted after spending the day working and the evening scouring the stores Christmas shopping.  I walked in my house and headed straight for the couch.  My nine-year-old daughter sat down beside me and asked me what was for dinner.

I told her I’d love to get take-out so that I didn’t have to cook, but that I was too tired to get back in the car and drive anywhere.  She turned to me and said, “Well, mom, I don’t have my license, but I’d be happy to go get my bike.”  Yes, the holiday season can be hectic, but to me, moments like that make it all worth it!