Messy Holidays

Are you feeling it yet? The pressure? The excitement? The hustle?

How many decisions have you made for your holiday season? Are you thinking this is going to be the best ever, or are you secretly dreading it?

Inundated with perfect Pinterest boards, holiday cards, and perfectly curated Christmas trees and holiday meal spreads, it is easy to want to do it all. To have the picture perfect holiday season. Not only do you feel the pressure to make it great, but you also are probably hearing an earful from friends and family that "need" you and your family to be at their holiday gathering.

But you know what happens when we try to attain perfection?

Insanity!

Yep, pure insanity!

I wish so hard that everyone has a good holiday season, my kids are happy and behaved, my extended family is satisfied, the Christmas decorations all go up without a hitch, and that we stay within the budget we INITIALLY stated for gifts. Unfortunately, it doesn't go that way. Something, rather, MANY things don't end up going as planned. It ends up resembling the National Lampoons Christmas Vacation movie. I am Clark, and like him, even though I have the best of intentions, I end up pulling my hair out and kicking down my outdoor Christmas decorations. Okay, I don't actually do that, but symbolically I do.

My scroogy husband tells me to calm down (which makes it worse), an inevitable Uncle Eddy shows up, and my kids are bored and complaining about being tired.....

.....every year!

So this year, why not embrace the chaos, live in the moment, laugh when things go wrong and accept that it is all part of the natural unfolding of the holidays?

Your intention is everything and you can choose an intention that leads to more internal chaos or one that points to peace and joy.

This year, I am letting it go. I am choosing to have fun. I am choosing to be okay with letting people down, I am choosing to smile at my kids when they ask for 100th time when they can open their presents, I am choosing to make snow angels and play. This year, I choose joy, not perfection. I choose joy for ME! Not because others don't like when I am uptight. I choose joy because I feel better, so I can sleep at night, so I can experience the magic holidays instead of being the person that *makes* magic happen.

Mama, you don't have to do it perfectly. Try doing it "good enough" and allow for the magic of the season to permeate your being and spark joy.