Dear Mom, This Christmas Slow Down And Remember…

Before the holiday rush sets in, before we all realize it's December and attempt to morph into party planners, home decorators, and master bakers….

Remember these two things from the moms at Finding Joy:

Let them see you smile.

Right now, in the midst of the busy, in the midst of this crazy time of the holidays when the everyday to-do list gets a steroid boost of stuff that has immediately become urgent, and the race through the everyday doesn’t seem to slow down enough for you to even catch a breath – bless your family with a smile. Don’t wish away the holidays or let the stress of the holidays rob you of joy.

Do you know how I know? Because just the other day as the kids were begging for me to take out the Christmas lights I remember thinking I wish it was January 2.

Yet, deep down, I don’t.

I just don’t like the stressed out crazy racing expectation driven feeling the often December leaves me with. And I am guessing some of you don’t either. It’s hard to step back, to celebrate Christmas and the holidays when one is running too hard, too fast, and not being able to enjoy the gift of memories found in these weeks.

 

So take the time to step back and smile a real smile for that family photograph. This Christmas, I'm going to let my children see the holiday joy in my eyes and take the time to notice it in theirs.

You can choose to simply let the crazy busy still be good.

That’s what I’m choosing to do. I’m choosing to bake cookies, to let there be that mess, to pull out the decorations, to string lights outside with numb fingers, to play the music, to draw names, to go to the parties, to simply celebrate the season. Even if I feel stress. The bottom line is this, I want my kids to remember me as the mom that smiled during the holidays – even though I’m sure I’ll mess up many times – but yet, deep down, I want them to see me as the mom that embodied joy.

This is really hard for me! But I want to be able to do it. I want my kids to see me as the mom with the joy too. I want to be the mom that made the holidays special… not the mom that worked as an event planner for the whole month of December.

If you want to be that mom too, be sure to check out the other things you should remember at Finding Joy.