With the holidays approaching I think it’s wise if we take a few minutes and do a little heart check on just what our holiday expectations are this Christmas.
Sometimes I find myself setting very unrealistic expectations. For example, I want a cleaned and decorated house that looks like it comes from a Better Homes & Garden magazine. I want a Martha Stewart handmade Christmas. I want a Barefoot Contessa meal on my table Christmas day with gorgeous desserts. Some elaborate handmade Christmas cards addressed and in the mail by Dec. 15th. Oh, and I want beautiful, creative gift wrapped packages. And my elf would be creatively displayed every day to make sure my kids were magically surprised every morning.
But what I really end up with is a dirty house with only half of the decorations put up because I’m so busy I can’t find the time to finish it all. I get a few handmade gifts done and the rest are store bought gift cards and my meal might be nice but every day leading up the the Christmas dinner is slapped together or eaten out. My cards are OK but don’t live up to the picture I have in my mind and my gifts are thrown into recycled gift bags. I forgot to do the elf half the time and the kids were sad and disappointed.
What usually happens after this is I’m tired, I’m disillusioned and I feel like a failure! Which then causes me to beat myself up, which then makes me really grouchy and we know what happens when moms are grouchy right??
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Pinterest and I LOVE looking at all the Blogs linky parties. I LOVE being creative it gives me life! BUT if I let it take me over the edge then something has to change.
It is so very easy to romanticize the holidays and then we’re so disappointed when it doesn’t work out the way we pictured.
Here are a list of words. Ask yourself if any of these words determine your actions during the holiday season.
These words mean you have expectations and they are not being met in the way you think they should be. Pay attention to yourself and notice when these words come up in your actions and attitudes. Let them be a reminder that you might be setting yourself up for failure.
This holiday season I want to remember:
What the season “really” is about.
If I do accomplish every single one of my goals it doesn’t make me a better person, it just means I worked myself to the bones .
If I don’t accomplish all my goals I’m not a BAD person.
If I’m accomplishing all my dream wish list, someone or something is probably being neglected. Either my husband or my kids or me or my house or my Lord.
We can easily get caught up in the hubbub and not even realize what happened to us until the tornado of activity is over and we are in a heap on Jan. 1st. Let’s be wise!!

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