Christmas at Our House

It's no secret that Christmas is one of my favorite times of year, but I truly believe this year may take the cake.

Ever since I was a child, I've loved Christmas...the lights, decorations, food, music, and every little detail involved. As a parent, the last few years have felt a little overwhelming thinking about Christmastime. There is so much to be done, so much money to be spent, and so much pressure to create the most magical and spectacular Christmas EVER. Add in the fact that we live over two hours from family and spent a LOT of November and December traveling, it can get to be quite much.

This year, I decided to scale back. We didn't send out a single Christmas card; we didn't make salt dough ornaments; we didn't drive around to see Christmas lights. We didn't even bake cookies for Santa! (Ok, so that last one was an accident-Sorry, Santa!)

And you know what I found? We didn't miss it! My kids didn't even notice some of the little changes we made- things that I typically stress myself out over to make Christmas "just perfect"! Instead, we found rest curling up by the fireplace. We found peace in each other's company rather than filling our time with busy work. We spent more time cuddling, coloring, and just laying in our pajamas. And it was absolutely amazing! It felt so good to purposefully slow down and drink in the beauty of the season. Maybe next year we'll add back in some of our old traditions... but maybe not. But I'm learning that either way, it's ok and Christmas can still be beautifully perfect.