It's that time of year again. We need to decorate a Instagram worthy tree, bake and decorate a bajillion cookies, (and clean up the sprinkles off the ground for the next week), find the perfect gift for everyone, track down stocking stuffers that won't just become dust collectors, and keep remembering to move that freaking elf every night! We do it all, and it can get exhausting. But let me let you in on a secret - we don't need to do it all. In fact, less is actually better.
What if this year, we kept things simple? What if we used this lock down as a time to trim away the excess holiday fluff? Fewer gifts means our kids will appreciate each item and not get overwhelmed by a mountain of toys that will inevitably end up in piles on the floor. It also means more money in your pocket and less stuff ending up in the landfill in a few years. Fewer stocking stuffers means the same - a couple of quality items that your kids will treasure, (and less junk to trip over!).
This year, we won't have a million holiday parties to attend. It's definitely going to be difficult to be away from our families, but can we find the silver lining in it? Can we instead have pj parties with our kids and stay up late watching Christmas movies? Maybe we can build a hot chocolate bar with whipped cream and fun toppings. Go sledding and build snowmen.
Maybe we can use this year as a reason to relax, slow down, and enjoy the holidays instead of rushing around and spending money as we do every year. Maybe we can lower our expectations of ourselves. Our kids don't expect perfection, so why should we? The quality time is what they'll remember - the leisurely breakfasts with too much syrup; the drive by light shows, and the Christmas movie marathons. That's the true Christmas magic.