I left Bath and Body Works the other day a little miffed. I realize that statement should be an oxymoron. Usually, my nostrils are so filled with all the Cinnamon-Pecan-Vanilla wonderment that nothing can dampen my mood, but alas, their marketing got to me. Exhibit A.
The Perfect Christmas. Now understand, I am NOT ragging on B&BW. I happen to be a massive fan of their candles. They’re just doing their marketing thing and they’re doing it like a boss. (I myself have used the “P” word before in posts such as this…but c’mon that yellow coat is pretty darn near perfect 😉 )
HOWEVER, I think we’re buying into an underlying message here and that’s what I want to get after today.
We can put a lot of undo pressure on Christmas and really, on ourselves at this time of year. We so desperately want to get everything “just right,” that we can actually miss the point entirely. It’s easy to get snagged in the comparison trap and not celebrate and enjoy our own memories and traditions because we’re so concerned that we’re not living up to what everybody else is doing…10x better than us of course. 😉
It’s called FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) and it’s a real thing. Wikipedia says so.
I mean, have you gone on Pinterest lately? You can feel like a second-class Christmas citizen if you’re not making Santa hat appetizers out of strawberries, while decorating your 4 distinctly themed Christmas trees and already drafting your New Years resolutions.
So this year, I have a proposition…What if we make a “Christmas UN-Bucket List?”
A list of things that we’re taking OFF of our Holiday to-do list.
What are the things you need to give yourself permission NOT to do this year so you can fully celebrate, enjoy the season and not drive you and yours crazy in the process?
What if you could really get after what brings you and your family joy and whatever is in your realm of control to eliminate…eliminating the options that just drain your Holly Jolly right out.
That’s not selfish, it’s just wise.
As a natural perfectionist, this is a really hard concept for me. Definitely preaching to the choir on this one. BUT, I also know, that I want to be free and fully present this year more than I want everything to be perfect.
SO wanna know what’s on my Christmas UN-Bucket List this year? Well here you go…
Crafty Things:
I have such a deep appreciate for people that can craft. Their patience is astounding to me. I do not have that gift. I hot glue my fingers together. A friend once talked me into “Quilling” (which involves spinning minuet pieces of paper around toothpics) coasters for a wedding shower…I lasted 5 minutes. I did learn to crochet once…and I made all of my family scarfs for Christmas…and they actually wore them. . Bless their hearts. They clearly love and humor me very much.
Christmas Cards:
Man, I love getting Christmas cards. I love seeing all my beautiful friends and family’s sweet pictures or just the pretty designs they’ve chosen. I display them until like mid-January because I just treasure things from my people. Plus, I’m such a words person, so I just eat them up.
HOWEVER, I am terrible at sending out Christmas Cards. I think I’ve done it …twice…in my life. And the one time, they we’re more like “New Years Eve Cards” by the time that people actually received them. I’m really not good at that kind of thing so it’s one Christmas tradition I give myself permission not to do. I AM entertaining the idea of an E-Christmas card though…hmmm…oh the intrigue.
Baking:
Alright, confession time. I have exactly 2 things in my baking arsenal, this ridiculously good and allergy friendly Banana bread AND slice and bake cookies.
That’s all I got. My issue is I try to make everything very healthy. The last time I tried to make chocolate chip cookies, I used plantains and stevia. But good news, if you’re ever craving a “plantain-stevia-flatbread,” you know who to call. The extent of my “holiday baking,” if I’m feeling particularly festive, reindeer slice and bakes. But hey, you put a redhot on those bad boys and check out how festive you are! 😉 They’re my go to. Fa la la la la.
I never claimed to be Betty Crocker. I LOVE to cook, but baking is so precise and I am so not.
Those are the things that are on my UN-Bucket List things that there is zero pressure to do. However, I do LOVE me some Christmastime and there are a few things firmly planted and etched in stone that help our family fully engage in the season and they are:
Decorating:
Christmas decorating is something I really enjoy and look forward to. You can see all the pics from last years Christmas Home Tour here. (This year’s is coming at you next week!) Now, I don’t go crazy, our house doesn’t look like page 7 of the Pier One Catalog, although LED Textured Light-up trees #GetInMyHome. But, in the few areas where I’ve chosen to decorate, it’s really life-giving to me. It’s a creative outlet that brings me joy and I really love the transformation. As long as there is GingerSnappish Tea and Christmas music (preferably Pentatonix, Harry Connick Jr, and Michael Buble 🙂 ) I will lug boxes, check lights and tweak bulb placement with the best of them.
If decorating isn’t your thing, or if it’s one of those years where a Tree is priority zero, NO pressure. I have a post on the world’s simplest Christmas decorations written with you in mind 😉 (wave hi to my old blog while you’re there! )You do you this Christmas Season.
Family Traditions:
Chris and I have some special things that we do around the holidays to celebrate. They include but are not limited to:
-watching Elf, It’s a Wonderful Life, & Scrooged at least once
-Red and Green Pancakes w/ Maple Chicken Sausage on Christmas Eve morning.
-And One of our FAVORITE date nights of the year that also happens to be totally free…Hunting for the best Christmas Lights. This is a date night tradition going at least 13 years strong.
We either make or get massive mugs of hot yumminess, bundle up and listen to Christmas music while exploring neighborhoods for the best displays. And this year…hang onto your Santa hats because we’re going to do a little Facebook Live and answer your date night questions during our little excursion. So have Siri remind you to follow us on Facebook and stay tuned on Social Media for the deets.
Side Note: In the past, I fell into the comparison trap and sabotaged our special things because I compared them to other peoples special things and I got what I’d like to call “Date Shame.” Everyone else’s traditions seemed so much cooler than ours and I totally failed at enjoying “us.” Have you been there? Guess what? It’s the “perfect” 😀 time to stop that. Let’s be so committed to enjoying our people, enjoying our traditions and sowing deeply into the in the life we’ve been given that we don’t have the mental space to compare.
Mornings by the Christmas Tree:
This year more than ever I’ve been embracing the idea of Advent; really making a conscientious effort to ready my heart for Christmas. There’s something special about time with the Lord in the stillness of the morning. And for me that “specialness” is amplified by the atmosphere of Christmas. When you’re surrounded in a beautiful celebration that points you to Him, when the lights are gleaming and the coffee is hot, my soul just seems more tender. It’s a precious sacred time to just open the word, open my journal, attempt to truly grasp the plan of love God set in motion so many Christmas’ ago. This one thing, has the power to change everything. And setting your heart, mind, and affections on Jesus for the day will always bring you back to home base when the crazy kicks in.
What about you? How can you prioritize Celebration in a non-selfish way?
What’s going to bring you and your family Joy this season? What can you put “On” the list and take “Off” the list that will help you strip away all that our culture has esteemed to be the perfect Christmas?
Can we be free to do “US” this year? Can we set our families free to not be like any other family? Can we enjoy “us” instead of wishing that we were Martha Stewart or Rachael Ray or the neighbor down the street with the rockin’ Griswald Christmas Lights?
Let’s do “us.” Let’s let your family be enough and learn to find all their weird quirkiness endearing. Let’s love people well, let’s love Jesus well, and let’s make walking in peace and spreading Joy a massive priority this year.
Let’s get back to celebrating the essence of Christmas; Celebrating the day that Freedom was born and Changed EVERYTHING. Let’s give our souls a little space and do things for our families and our loved ones will really help “us” Celebrate.
That’s what I want to get after this year, even if I do it imperfectly 😉
Until next time,
Meg
If this post spoke to your heart, go ahead and share using the social media buttons on the left. I bet your people could use a little freedom this Christmas too! 🙂
I am so crafty, last year I made and sent out handle made cards to friends and family. This year I moved out of state and and in my own place for the first time. I’ve had no time for handmade cards and I’ve been beating myself up over that. This post stopped that thought right in its tracks. I did do my own Christmas tree this year since that is a must for me and attempted cut out cookies to continue some of my “must have” traditions. I didn’t do these things perfectly but for myself. Thanks for such a wonderful post.
Yay! I’m so glad this post gave you the grace you needed Genevieve! Congratulations on your big move and new place! That’s a huge deal 🙂
I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately. It’s so easy to get caught up in the to-do lists and not on what’s important. Over the years, I’ve given up sending Christmas cards except to immediate family, we don’t do a Christmas tree (I know, we’re positively heathen!), and every year we make or scrap traditions on a whim. I try not to allow myself to feel guilty over the people who have Pinterest-worthy holidays. More power to them! I just choose different priorities during the holidays. Great post!
It sounds like you have a great sense of what works for you and your family Anne. That sounds like a healthy place to celebrate from to me! 😉
Love this! I’ve said no to crafting myself (this not being my area of giftedness) and Christmas cards. But mostly I love the spirit of this! I call it my “good enough” Christmas, which means that if the house and the tree and the gifts and the food are good enough to get the job done and still keep the season focused on its Reason, that is good enough for me. Merry Christmas to you…stopping by from Friday Frivolity!
“Good Enough” Christmas, yes. <3 Love that Elizabeth!
I like this a lot! Thank you for sharing, Meg. It has been a couple of years now when I spend a much calmer December. In fact, I do enjoy Advent a lot, the waiting for Christmas and the reminder that Jesus is coming back. I decorate with some Advent items: the Swedish four-candle-sticks, the electric candle stick and a shining star in the window and I light candles and enjoy watching them when it is dark outside. I so enjoy spending a peaceful and relaxing Christmas instead of all the busy-ness 😉
Blessings to you, Meg & Chris!
Hi Anneli! Oh, I love that, we really tried to embrace advent and all its anticipation this year and it really did make such a difference. I love your beautiful traditions!
The comparison trap. I fall into that a lot. Great post. By the way, beautiful tree!
#fridayfrivolity
It’s so easy too! So glad you stopped by Barrie!
I love the idea of an un-bucket list!… though for me crafting and baking definitely fall into the must do category! I’ve found with kids the perfect holiday rarely exists anyway. We’ve spent too many Christmases dealing with tears, illnesses, and last minute plan changes for me to stress it much anymore.
I think that’s a really healthy perspective Joanne!
I think you’re very wise. And our lives have different seasons, so your un-bucket list may change from year to year. We took two years off from sending cards — even though I love to do it! — because we just needed some margin. This year I sent out a letter with great joy!
That’s really true, I’m sure it will change over the years. Thanks for your perspective Michele. Glad you were able to send out a letter with joy! 🙂
Such a practical but also joyful perspective! I am ALL about simplifying and focusing on what’s really important… and your important might be different than my important! Thank you for sharing your uplifting thoughts with us at #FridayFrivolity recently! 🙂 Pinning and tweeting.
“Your important might be different than someone else’s important.” Absolutely! so well said 🙂
Way cool! Some very valid points! I appreciate you
penning this article plus the rest of the site is extremely good.
Undo pressure – the perfect mistake (or was it on purpose, since that’s what the article is about? 🙂
Yeah, let’s undo us some pressure. I’m in! Great suggestions! We certainly do need to stop comparing ourselves to others; that’s a lot of pressure we don’t need. News flash – we aren’t others! We are ourselves! Such a simple but illusive concept sometimes! 🙂
Cute pancake idea! I see chocolate chips for the eyes; what is the little pink piece on the nose?
Merry Christmas! Enjoy your peeps (and the doggie – he looks so peaceful.)
Oh my goodness! Freudian Slip! But either way it works right? haha
Pancakes: Thank you! The nose is a mini-red hot 🙂 Merry Christmas Ruth! So glad you stopped by!