Beautiful Plants For Your Interior
By the time this article reaches you, my readers, Christmas will be around the corner. It is truly one of the best times of the year but for me, there is also a lot of stress for us, moms until we reach this happy gathering around the Christmas tree, the warm glow of the lights and the smiley faces of everyone around you.
The endless hours of choosing presents, crowds of people, fitting that into your work schedule, not forgetting someone, planning, food, decoration… Let’s say it takes its toll on you. Sometimes, you just wonder why you do all that, right?
At the end of the day, upon reaching that “happy” moment around the tree, you are usually so exhausted that you just sit somewhere with a “phewww” and don’t have the energy anymore.
For me, however, it is extremely important to put all my best efforts into creating a fairy tale celebration for my family and I have only one (very strong) argument – my 8-year-old boy, nurturing his memories for the future to come and his belief in Santa and miracles.
Why it matters?
One of my best memories from childhood is actually my mom and dad dancing around the Christmas tree, which glows with candles, handmade toys from walnuts, chocolate wrappers, and cotton garlands. Back in the day, we had a real pine tree and the candles were from wax, the air in the house was permeated with an aroma that was a mixture of the pine tree, warm bread in the oven, and candies.
Being still in the totalitarian regime, we had bananas and oranges only at Christmas and the same was true for chocolate. So for me and my sister, that was a huge thing and something we were expecting for several months prior to it.
Later, when life happens you recognize that not everyone has such memories and how precious they are. How people can be gone in the blink of an eye or how others just spend every single fest hungry or homeless or cold.
A mom’s personal mission
I truly believe, that if we, moms have the opportunity to create such memories for our family, we have to do our best. One day, my boy is going to remember exactly the same glow, warmth, and love and also aim to do the same for his family. Our responsibility as parents is to prepare them to give, share, and shed warmth and light.
When I get tired, I remind myself about John Lenon’s song “Imagine” and strive to put a bit of that “dreamer” vibe in my boy’s education because our kids are our legacy and if we plant the seed, they’ll pass it onwards.
Christmas, never mind that it is commercialized or exaggerated or stressful, is one of these moments of the year when it is worth investing your time and effort in. That is why I would love for my son to be thinking of that same very moment of his parents on a lovely Christmas morning and the feeling of him rushing under the Christmas tree to check if Santa brought him presents.
Reducing stress when organizing Christmas
Starting from the fact that I like to predict and organize, I do have some routines that get me prepared way earlier than the rest and the only two things that are left for me around the holiday are getting the tree decorated, the presents under the tree and then spend time with the family.
– I buy my next year’s new Christmas decoration in January and yes you read that right! Usually, there is plenty of excesses left in the shops, all people are celebrating and you might be bored at home after so many holidays, so I go for a coffee in the mall while it is empty, enjoy the silence and get some real bargains out of the entry stores.
– My shopping list is completed by the end of November. I don’t go shopping in December at all. Just choose a quiet weekday, get a day off work, and do the shopping early morning in-between mid-September and end-November. There are no crowds, people are at work and pricing hasn’t gone up yet.
– If you have the tradition of cleaning up your house right before the holidays, just do it in the space of a week during the weekdays instead of a one-weekend-is-all-I-have-thing. I find that with a bit of planning and 30 min a day on that cleaning, I end up with free time during the weekend for family and relaxation
– Choose your menu for Christmas Eve wisely and don’t go over the board by cooking everything complicated you know. Choose one dish that will be your special Christmas thing to remember and every single year put that on the table. The rest can be just simple food as everyone has had enough of eating anyway. This way you kill two birds with one stone: you have one special thing for your family to remember as “really special” for this particular occasion and at the same you have to spend less time cooking and more time with your family.
In conclusion: is it worth all the effort?
There is no different answer for me other than “Yes, it is!”. If you haven’t built a magic Christmas for your kid yet or you are a mom-to-be reading this, think about it. Imagine (like that song by John Lenon I mentioned above”) that moment in time, when your kids are going to wake up and run to the Christmas tree, feel the excitement in the air, the bright shine in their eyes, the peels of laughter when the tear the paper of the presents you put there after the got to sleep last night, and you’ll know!
It is one of those moments that really make a difference in our sometimes dreary days. Shed some light and plant that “little dreamer” in your children for the generations to come…