Let's Keep It Simple

It's December....where was November?

Anyone else feel like that?

In fact I thought it was just October....and I am so not kidding.

We spent the majority of October not feeling well.  One person would heal up and stop coughing and then the next child or adult would get something and it would go through the house one more time.  It got old fast...that feeling of yuck.  But now...yes much better....with a round of antibiotics for the two that had chest infections and it seems to have cleared up with everybody.

I feel FANTABULOUS!

And just in time for a busy holiday season.

But does it have to be so busy?

I always wondered why my Mom complained of hanging decorations and Christmas shopping for gifts.  She would leave everything for the last minute and I mean the 24th. 

I know why..... now.

With the demands of a large young family upon me and a very part time job....I feel stressed just thinking about it all.

But this year, I attended a fabulous Christmas Banquet in which the speaker, Connie Cavanaugh spoke to us about how to not kill the ones you love during the holiday season.  What I got out of her talk...SIMPLIFY...big time.

I am not one to do up my house to extremes, nor do I go over on gifts, but I am a perfectionist and a procrastintor and would stay up to the wee hours of the night scrapbooking someone a calendar. 

Not going to happen this year.

In fact it took me all of 20 minutes to decorate this year.  Normally it would take me all day {because you have to clean you whole house when you done!}.

With four kids with November, December and January birthdays...we decided to cut back their gifts too.  I concentrated more on what they would really enjoy so they each are receiving two gifts.  They have relatives that always get them great stuff to enjoy, so why over do it?  Santa can be watching the bank too. 

Which is another change up.  I love that my children believe in Santa, and please no harsh comments about how I'm lying to my children.  But this year Santa will only be delivering one gift each, the other gift is from Mom and Dad.  What I don't want them to think is that Santa is rich and can spoil them rotten..lol.

Of course we want them to understand what Christmas is truly about and my three year old son surprised me when he spoke of Jesus the the other day.  Now keep in mind he was talking about Jesus on top of the Gateway Covenant Church and how God was there too.  But it was a teaching moment and I explained who was in the nativity and why.

I think we can also teach our children about the season by our actions.  If I do not simplify my life right now...I will be s-t-r-e-s-s-e-d and that is never pretty.  By keeping things simple and spending more time with the kids in a "good" mood then we are showing them that it is the season of love and kindness. 

By greeting the lady at the Wal Mart doors with a "Merry Christmas".

By dropping a dollar or two into the Salvation Army kettle.

By explaining why we are giving a brand new toy to a child we do not know and having my child place it in the Christmas hamper himself.

And of course by apologizing to the cranky man when you bang into his shopping car...even if he doesn't apologize back or waving at the women yelling at you from the driver seat of her car because you just about crashed into her in a busy parking lot {of course waving an apology not sarcastically}.

These are all things that we can do to teach our children what the season is about.

Less is More...my new philosophy.