Determined

Wasn't Halloween seriously just last week? What happened to November? Here's what happened... I set a goal to be completely done with Christmas preparations by November 30th and you know what? Here it is 13 days until Christmas and I'm still scrambling! I have had a few setbacks though a.k.a. 3 kids with the stomach flu, one of them, bless her heart, made it to the toilet every single time. The others, not so much. So in the midst of cleaning my carpets and doing insurmountable loads of laundry, most of which is still in a giant heap on my bed waiting patiently for me to fold, there are of course the cards to mail, presents to wrap, staff Christmas party to plan and carry out, pageants to attend, neighbor gifts to bake and send out, my blog to keep updated (ha, ha) and make sure my kids understand the true meaning of Christmas! I always wonder why I get the post-holiday blues and now I think I'm starting to understand a little more. We, or at least I, spend the whole month of December running around like crazy trying to please everyone and accomplish all of our "to do's" and hardly take any time at all to sit and contemplate that very first Christmas night, which something tells me, was slightly more peaceful than Christmas today.
Above all else, I really want my kids to know and feel the peace and love that this time of year brings. I want their first thought to be of what others need and not themselves. I want them to realize that the "magic" of Christmas comes from giving and not recieving. We are so blessed. I love my family more than anything in this world, I have an amazing husband and wonderful kids and I couldn't ask for any better Christmas present than that. So I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday season and that we can all take a "time out" and truly feel the peace of the holiday.