‘Tis the Season

So, yeah…somehow we have made it to 2 days before Christmas and I don’t FEEL nearly ready.  This holiday season has flown by and I’m trying not to let it get the best of me.  It seems there has not been enough time to get everything done.  It seems like there is so much more to do.  It seems like I will never get it all done before Christmas.  And that part is true.

I’m still not done decorating.  I still have one more present to buy.  I still have many presents to wrap.  We still haven’t done many of the things we like to do as a family during the holidays.  And as sad as it makes me to think about how quickly it will be over and how long it will be until I get another chance, I’m trying not to be sad about it.

I’m trying to get done what I can.  I’m trying my best to enjoy the season.  I’m trying to appreciate every moment we do have together.  I’m trying to make good memories for my girls.  And I’m constantly trying to remind myself that those memories and moments are what really matter.

I know when it’s over I’ll be sad.  I’ll wish I had more time.  I’ll wish I had done more.  I’ll wish it wasn’t over and I’ll look forward to next year.  I’ll obsess over everything I didn’t get done or do just right and when I can’t sleep at night I’ll plan what to do different next time.

And, hopefully, I’ll look through the pictures and smile at the delight on my children’s faces.  Hopefully I’ll rehash what we DID do and be happy with the memories we made.  Hopefully I’ll be able to take those smiles and memories through the next year and use those to make next season great.  Because at the end of every holiday season, I remember not the stress, short fallings and missed opportunities but the great Christmas moments we do have, like:

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Honeybun’s 1st Christmas when she wanted to eat every package and then fell asleep halfway through opening them!

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And her 2nd Christmas when it was warm enough to run around outside and she started a game of grapefruit bowling

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And Sugarplum’s 1st Christmas and Honeybun’s stylish new hat and Sugarplum’s instant obsession with Hooey!

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And Sugarplum’s 2nd Christmas when we got tons of big and noisy gifts (that we had to take back to Dublin!) and the girls decorated Christmas cookies for the first time.

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And last year, distracting the girls Christmas morning while we waited for family to arrive and enjoying the largest family group we’ve ever had for Christmas!