I have tons more respect and kudos for my mom since becoming a mother. She always made sure holidays were on point. Her story is inspiring and a whole blog topic for another day. Before having a child, I didn’t care too much about holidays at my home once I moved out. I would stay in bed, binge watch my favorite shows, and wait to get a plate from my mom’s house. I wasn’t in a serious relationship where holidays were a big deal either, so I just went with the flow.
This year, whew! Between decorating, planning meals, setting the family budget, PLUS planning gifts, and prioritizing covid, it’s been stressful. Is this how all moms feel? Why is the responsibility on us to create the aura during the holiday season? I’m not going to say that I completely hate having most of the responsibility. It’s just a lot to have in order on top of everything else I do. When it’s all said and done, I enjoy the smiles on my family’s faces.
I did a little bit of research about the responsibilities of a mother during the holiday season, and it’s common for moms to feel burnout and stress. Most of what I read centered on the common theme of canceling the idea of a “perfect” holiday and focusing on what is important. I spent hours decorating the tree and Avianna unraveled the garland, several ornaments are missing, and the tree skirt has never been in place for more than 60 seconds. At this point, forget the tree skirt, it’s not vital and the ornaments aren’t important. She’s too young to understand what Christmas is right now, so I begin to ask myself, why put a ton of pressure on myself on decorations when she will think they are her toys. I’ve become way more relaxed about the holiday since having this realization. It’s to the extent where I’m not even sure what we are having for dinner on Christmas ( I REALLY need to figure this out!). To keep sane, I’m focusing more on family time and taking pictures for Avi’s scrapbook.
For all of the moms reading, do you feel a heavier load during the holiday times? Does this get better with experience, and what strategies have you tried to alleviate the stress?
A Lil Bit of Everything 