Christmas: Worth the Stress

by Kate Hayes,
 

I don’t know about you other mommies, but December can be a pretty stressful time of year for me. It’s the time when you take all of my normal parenting and career duties and throw in the added responsibilities of buying and wrapping presents, decorating the house, planning holiday-related events, and even baking.  I am terrible in the kitchen. When baking makes it on to my must-do list, there is bound to be stress!

My husband, God bless him, tried to help me wrap some presents last night. In the end, his pile looked like they were wrapped by a deranged elf. Poor guy. It’s not really his fault that he’s virtually no help to me during the holiday season…but the truth is it requires the type of planning that he is just not good at. Every year, I make the lists of what to buy everyone, I order those gifts online or purchase them in the store, and then I do most of the wrapping (which usually requires several nights of staying up way too late). I do most of the holiday decorating and tree-trimming (although Kyle does set up the tree and put up the lights). And I have spent weeks planning what we need to pack for our trip home to St. Louis over the holidays, from the gifts that we have to take with us, to special holiday outfits, to games we will want to play while we are there, to extra luggage for the trip back home. By the time the holidays are over, I know that I am going to be exhausted, both physically and mentally. 

But I also can’t tell you how much that I am looking forward to seeing all of our family and friends back home. I can’t wait to take part in treasured traditions like family game night at my parents’ house, where the competition is always fierce, but fun. It thrills me to know that every minute of our holiday vacation will be spent sharing stories and memories and laughter with people we love.

The time leading up to Christmas, though hectic, has been filled with happy memories as well. I have loved watching two-year-old Kellen begin to understand who Baby Jesus and Santa Claus are this year. He knows that presents are coming, and I can’t wait to see his face when he sees the big pile under the tree (although he just told me that clothes cannot be Christmas presents, so it will be interesting to see how he reacts to some train shirts that I thought he would like). I have laughed listening to five-year-old Anna sing her new favorite Christmas song over and over this year: Feliz Navidad. She admitted to me, “I don’t understand it, but I love it!” Anna is still a true believer in Santa, and couldn’t wait to sit on his lap and tell him what she wanted. I don’t know how much longer that will be the case. And in the holiday spirit of togetherness, our whole family has enjoyed watching all the classic Christmas shows, reading Christmas stories, and driving around looking at Christmas lights. It’s funny to me how exciting a strand of colored lights on a bush can be on a dark winter night. The kids love it! As for me and Kyle…in the words of one popular carol, “These wonderful things are the things we remember all through our lives.” 

Christmas…it’s more than just a day. It takes over our lives for an entire month, and shapes our memories for decades to come. It’s always stressful, always exhausting…and worth it. Always worth it.

Kate is a contributing writer for Mommy Moment. Kate is the proud mom of Anna and Kellen, two preschoolers who are starting to pick up all of her best habits: a passion for reading and exploring new places, an intense interest in organizing, and a total disregard for sleep. See what she has been up to over at www.adventuresinparenting.me

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