I decided not to do Christmas cards this year.
It’s been a hard year for our family. With all we have going on, it just felt like another thing. Another thing I was doing- just because I should.
Of course, when the Christmas cards started filing into our mailbox, the guilt crept in. I should be reciprocating. But you know what? No.
We put so much pressure on ourselves to keep up all the time. This year I’m waving the white flag. I can’t keep up and I no longer feel sorry.
It is what it is this year. If I had spent time making cards, I might have missed out on baking cookies and watching Christmas movies with my 4-year-old or sitting in front of the fireplace with my husband.
Christmas is about giving, but I can’t give this way, this year. Christmas cards were not on the priority list. Maybe the cards will go out next year, or maybe not. But I’m not going to do them because of pressure I put on myself to keep up.
To the moms saying “no” this Christmas-
To the moms saying “no” this Christmas-
To the mom saying “no” to sending Christmas cards this year- you’re doing fine.
To the mom saying “no” to bouncing around to different houses on Christmas Day- your family will be okay.
To the mom saying “no” to yet another holiday party- the party will go on.
To the mom saying “no” to more commitments this December- let them really go.
Dear mom, drop the guilt over saying “no” this Christmas. Drop it right now. Because in saying “no” to the extra, you’re really saying “yes” to the things that matter most.
Your “no” is a “yes” to your family. Your “no” is a “yes” to the peace the season is supposed to bring. Your “no” on spending time on stuff, is a “yes” to spending time together.
You’re saying “yes” to your own well being, which is perhaps the most important “yes” of all. Because, mom, you’re it. You may not be the reason for the season, but you’re the one who makes it sparkle. Whether your child is 3 or 23, you’re the magic maker, the dream granter, you’re the reason they’ve been waiting for this time of year all year long.
So, mom, it’s okay to say “no” this Christmas, because your “no” to something that doesn’t matter all that much, is making it possible for you to say “yes” to the things that really do.
Moms, you’re doing more than fine. You’re the memory curator, the heart warmer and the atmosphere setter. You’re the marshmallows on top of your kids’ hot chocolate. Mom, you’re it.
Merry Christmas, Moms.
To our friends and family- we really do love getting your cards. They make me smile when they come in and I love looking at them throughout the month. Thank you for thinking of us even though we could not give to you in this way this year.
