Are you making a list? (Ha!) Checking it twice? (Ha, Ha!) The holidays can be stressful and we tend to over do it. Do you still do it all yourself or have you passed many traditions along to other family members? Are you just too tired to enjoy the holidays? Are you able to muddle through?
Let's share tips on how to make this time of year as easy and stress free as possible!
We buy savings bonds for gkids, and gift certs for our kids and their spouses. It helps to simplify a little bit. I put my tree up last year but didnt even decorate it ..We left for Georgia 3 days after Christmas and that was stressful. I didnt wait the hassle of undecorating so I didnt get much out. love to all PJ
CHristmas use to be my favorit holiday.This year I am dreading it! If not for the kids I wouldn't even mess with getting out of bed that day. I do all the cooking for Thanksgiving and Christmas. His family will be here for thanksgiving my family for CHristmas. I say bahumbug to it all this year! I think we should all hybernate from October through May.
We are flying into Hartford, Ct on Christmas Day. We will have to get a rental car. Then visit my hubby's family and my son and 3 grandkids. (one is due Dec 13) Then we have to drive to upstate NY (4 hrs) and visit my 3 sisters and families, one brother and family, my Mom, and my other son, his wife and their new baby who is due today but hasn't arrived yet. Yes, it will be exhausting and financially draining. Then we have to drive back to the airport in Hartford, Ct to fly home on NY's day. Whew, I am pooped just thinking about it. Everyone gets money except the grandkids get gifts, which I cannot buy ahead of time due to flying and baggage restrictions. I will not decorate our home much here in Fl since we will be gone. And it will cost us over $300 for the pet sitter.
Well, fa,la, la, la, la...aren't we all jolly! I went to my son's last Christmas and he did all the cooking. I haven't put a tree up for 10 years. I have used a little mini-tree with fiber optic lights and real tacky ornaments a couple of times. Okay, stress free (HA) without just blowing it off: The little bit of shopping I do, I do online. Only send special cards to a few people. That's it. Big help, huh?
I do cook a turkey with all the stuff on Thanksgiving because I LOVE all the leftovers. Pesky people better not show up at my house and eat all my food. BAH!
It is all overwhelming! Used to love this time of year untill the grands got big enough to ask for such gifts, that us normal folks could not afford nor would buy even if I could buy them times 17. We are getting each family(5) a meat package from our local meat market. Will be going to sons home for Thanksgiving and daughters for Christmas. I was the one who put on the big meal for years now they have to or not do it. Last year we got pizza and made salads for Christmas. We were all together that is all I care about! I will taking homemade goodies to church. Only a batch or 2. Not even attempting candy this year...
Well, I sure fit into this group!!!! We got the invitation to Thanksgiving dinner yesterday from one of my daughters. Thank God! I just know we will be here for Christmas Eve-all of us. What a circus! If they would just cook! It's for them. We were gone for 11 years and our girls missed us all being together. It was if the rug was pulled out from under them. So I feel I have to do this for them. So I will. I don't know what happened to me. Maybe reality set in. I don't want to shop until I drop. Spend what I don't have. Buy what they don't need. I deal in cash. I like receiving cash. My grandkids-and they are very young-want gifts-presents. I don't want to shop. I don't want to wrap. I want it to all just go away. I know I'm not alone. But then there are parts I really enjoy!!!!!!!! Go figure.
The holidays used to be more fun when the kids were younger (and so was I). I really believe that the holidays put too much stress on everyone -- whose family should we see on Christmas Eve, who will be hurt if we don't make an appearance on Christmas Day. There never seems to be enough time to do everything!
This year all but one of the children have their own homes. Fortunately, most live in the same area about an hour from us. We'll drive down their on Christmas Eve day right after work and visit one side of the family, stay at a hotel overnight, and visit another on Christmas Day. We'll do some cooking and take it with us. Gifts are cash or gift certificates. I used to try to pick up little things to wrap so that everyone had something personal to open but no more! With the economy as it is, I think that the money or gift card will be appreciated. One of our friend's is a teacher at a school that has a drive to raise money for the school by selling gift cards. It's a win/win situation - I don't have to shop and the school makes out. I know that the young grandchildren would rather have a present to open but they get so much from their parents that it seems a waste. (Now I really sound old! I'm quoting my mother!)
I still decorate the inside of my home, not the outside. The living room is small so the tree is on the back deck where we can see it through the sliders. I decorate more for my own enjoyment than anything else and do as much or as little as I choose. I say, do what you can and forget the rest.
I stopped decorating with a big tree back in 2000 or so. Too much work and cost, for me. My children are on their own, and nobody has any money for presents or Thanksgiving unless I go to the food bank. Only thing I like to do is bake muffins and cookies to hand out to my friends and two local sons. I can do this a little at a time. I do bring out small decorations for the holidays.
I haven't decorated for couple of years, house is in various stages of remodeling / when I have the energy to work on any projects. Decorating is just too much right now. I started getting little things for the gkids months ago. Economy the way it is no one is getting very much. Only getting for gkids. My kids are out of town or stationed out of state. I'll wait for them to decide who is coming and who isn't. Last year I spent 2 days cooking and cleaning - was exhausted but excited I finally had ALL the kids and grandkids at my house for first time in years. 7 gkids. The pictures of me totally shock me, I look like I could drop at any time. And felt like it. Don't think it would have been so bad except the job I had then I hadn't had a day off in couple of months - at least with this one the business is closed on Sundays and close at 6pm. If they want me to cook,I will. They clean up :~)
