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Oh, my. Here we are already at December 15! I am feeling a little overwhelmed + sad that the month is almost halfway over. I am trying to remain calm and have a peaceful Christmas season with low expectations, no perfectionism, and lots of joy. Really I am. But to be completely honest the past couple of weeks have been busy + stressful. Of course there have been great moments! But overall, I feel like the holiday season is rushing by and I am scrambling to not only keep up, but feel like I am really celebrating it at all. Not to mention, feel like I am taking the time to reflect on Who this season is all about.
So what better to do than make an official December To-Do List? (We all know I am a super big fan of the "to-do list"!). Taking the time to think about what I really want myself + my little family to get out of a season/holiday really helps me keep things in perspective and prioritze our time. And it really helps me to write it all down. If I keep the list in my head, I find it just gets longer and longer and longer and I get more and more overwhelmed (especially when I stumble upon inspiring things other mamas are doing with their families and start the whole comparison game).
So, here we go...
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THE OFFICIAL DECEMBER 2010 TO-DO LIST:
- Stop stressing about getting the Advent calendar done (total mama guilt there because we haven't done one single day yet). It will get done. And next year we will celebrate all 25 days. For now, just focus on planning the 12 days of Christmas and making them really special.
- Bake cookies. For the neighbors. For us. Lots of cookies. Molasses + frosted sugar cookies for sure, and maybe one or two new ones?
- Take time every single day to pray and spend time with Jesus. Preferably in the morning.
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- Order my Christmas cards and mail them out! (I actually have them made already, I just need to order them...)
- Read lots and lots of Christmas books with the kids. We pulled out our big box of them last week and it made us all so happy. Take the kids to the book store to buy a new Christmas book for this year.
- Read Ann's Advent book. I had wanted to do it as a family, but it just didn't happen. So I am focusing on reading a little bit every day to myself and maybe to Erik too at night.
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- Decorate Gingerbread houses together (hopefully with our dear friends like last year!)
- Use lots of Mrs. Meyers holiday scents when cleaning (I have the pine handsoap + the orange clover counter spray)
- Watch lots of Christmas movies together. At the top of my list: White Christmas, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, Little Women (not totally a Christmas movie, but I really love it), and A Charlie Brown Christmas. What are your top Christmas movie picks?
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- Make paper snowflakes to hang from our ceiling + windows
- Listen to Roger (a tradition inheirited from Erik's family). Truth be told, he is a little like Keith Green- you kind of have to grow up with them to appreciate them and they tend to be a little cheesy... here is one of our favorites: Christmas Is Here Again.Oh, and Christmas Song.
- Make a snowman + snow angels (if the snow comes back!)
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- Try to take at least one photo every day
- Make ornaments with the kids
- Track our Operation Christmas Child boxes
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- Take the kids on a drive to look at Christmas lights
- Take a break from homeschooling for the rest of the month+ instead focus on creating lots of cozy sweet memories as a family and sharing with the kids about Jesus and the true meaning of Christmas (this is probably #1 on my list of things to do!)
- Plan a special Christmas Eve morning with breakfast + stockings + sweet family time (since we will be with the extended family on Christmas Day)
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- Plan a special cozy Christmas afternoon/evening at home. I am thinking a really easy dinner, gifts, games, and kids to bed early so Erik + I can watch It's a Wonderful Life together.
- Celebrate New Year's Eve! We never really do anything special or cool, so I think it would be fun to at least do a little something this year.
- SLOW DOWN AND REMEMBER THAT CHRISTMAS IS ALL ABOUT JESUS! Stop stressing. Stop being busy busy busy. Slow down and take the time to make this season everything I want it to be. Forget about expectations. Embrace whatever the day, the holiday brings and just go with it. Don't let the little things become big. Let the Savior be the only really big thing.
What things are on your December TO-DO list?
