What's the Date Again?

Interrupting the Christmas season with a trip to (somewhat) warmer climes can really throw a gal off.

We're back from Miami, where we took my youngest sibling for her Sweet 16 birthday extravaganza. It was a hurricane of a trip, as is anything planned by my older sister, that included lots of shopping, a bruised rental car, a beautiful (if much too cold for bathing suits) beach, and lots of familial bonding. Now we're back though, and it's like we entered a time vortex. "What? Is it still Christmastime? Right, then... Anyone for eggnog?"

I've been longing for this season for most of the year, and now it's finally here I can barely contain myself. There will be so much family coming in, and I have Christmas decorations for the first time ever! Even with all my pent up excitement finally finding outlet, I've still found myself overwhelmed at times by the Christmas season obligations.

I got a ridiculously late start on Christmas cards because of this mid-December trip we planned, and I have been so worried that people will look down me for my tardiness. A vacation in the middle of the season means the Christmas gift budget took a serious hit, and I'm worried all our friends and family will think us cheap and gauche. Everyone around us is hosting Christmas parties, and surely we have to have our turn, because I don't want people to think they're not welcome in our house, too.

Then there's the cooking and the prepping for Christmas day, the cooking and the prepping again for New Year's Eve celebrations, making sure the house is clean and kitchen stocked for when family comes to stay at our house, and on, and on, and on, with worry, worry, worry.

All that worry could steal a girl's joy.

But I realized I was getting bogged down. I could feel my long-awaited Christmas joy slipping through my fingers and I decided No. Just No. I'm not going to let this happen. This season is for me as much as for anyone else, and I think we all deserve to enjoy it.

Will it destroy your Christmas if you don't get a card from me this year? Nope? Good. Because I'm not sending any. I'll hit you up next year. Are you going to disown me as a friend or family member if your gift is something intrinsically you but happened to be homemade or cost me a dollar? I hope not, because that's most of your gifts. #notsorry. Do you really need to attend one more party with cutsey holiday themes and adorable h'ordeuvres and gift swapping? No? Come to my house. We'll eat popcorn and watch YouTube videos.

I'm not letting this season get away from me. It seems like the last few Christmases have been over in a whirlwind of obligations and I've been left wondering where all the peace, joy, and good will toward men went. Not this time. I'm choosing to savor this Christmas. I'm going to wallow in the joy and good will, just bathe in it, and pray it'll last me until this time next year.

Merry Christmas, one and all. I do hope you'll enjoy it!