We are slowing it down. Like...way....down....
For years, we've hosted Christmas dinner and all the fun, expense and chaos that goes along with it. Don't get me wrong, I seriously LOVE Christmas and having a big family and friends Christmas day meal is a major part of that. But along with it comes a certain amount of stress and a whole lot of money. Feeding 20+ people entirely from scratch isn't cheap y'all! Since we typically host Thanksgiving and end up doing something with friends for New Year's- that's a whole lot of money, time, stress etc throughout the entire holiday season.
Combine this with a particularly difficult Thanksgiving WEEK and the husband and I just decided to opt out. That's right- we are saying no this Christmas to everything that is non-essential and may involve any amount of stress.
You see....we actually want to enjoy our Christmas together as a family. And so, we will be holding that thought close to our hearts as we break the news to family and friends that we are indeed- opting out.
Sorry....not sorry...
In addition to this new found stress free holiday, the husband will actually have several days off work. You guys- he hasn't had Christmas or Christmas Eve off in well over five years. And I'm just so beyond thankful and excited about that that the very last thing I want to do is schlep everywhere and add in stress to our rare family time. Just not gonna happen mmkay...
So what exactly are we saying no to this Christmas?
Most definitely we are NOT hosting Christmas day. We also will not be going anywhere on Christmas day. Listen- if people want to come over and hang and play with our Christmas goodies from under the tree, that's totally OK. I'll bake some pies- like, a whole bunch of yummy pies and that's probably the extent of it. Pie Palooza and Presents. Yep- that about sums it up. Well...and alcohol too!
In addition to not hosting Christmas, we will NOT be going to any extended family functions. This means we don't have the added stress of caravaning with 13 people (many of whom we don't care for) during some of the worst traffic this time of year. Add in the added chaos of a meal with 25+ people. Ugh. I also will have the added benefit of not having to cook anything for said meal. Plus- we are actually already scheduled to work during one of these functions and we simply can't afford to take any more time off work after a week long vacay.
We are buying less. Each year the amount of gifts under the tree gets smaller and smaller because we know that Christmas is NOT about presents but presence. Being with your family, with your beloveds- yeah, that's where its at. So typically, where I would be buying several gifts for some folks, I will now only be purchasing one. Many will not even get a gift. Please- don't take it personally but the reality is that you don't need more stuff and I can't afford to really buy it for you anyway. So we are saying NO to the societal pressures of gift giving.
Along with buying less- we are working on giving for free. The husband has asked me to scale way back on our spending and so for those who we will still be gifting to, I am attempting to do much of it for free. How? Through my local "buy nothing" Facebook page of course! So many of my neighbors are giving away toys, beauty items, household goods etc this holiday season and what a great way to recycle and regift!
The husband and I are giving each other a combined gift. This means that he doesn't have the added stress of having to purchase gifts for me. Which ladies- can I just say that I am the only person he buys gifts for! How stressful can this really be for him?!? I'm sure many of you wives also do all the gift buying for your in-laws and husband's side of the family in addition to your side of the family. And the husband is stressed over buying for one person! Ha! But the truth is that we have not only wanted but we actually have a need for a larger item and instead of limping along for another year, we've decided to use our money that we would normally spend on gifts for each other to simply buy this bigger ticket item. Works for me!
We will not be attending any work or social holiday parties. While we greatly enjoy our jobs, friends, family, co-workers etc, the very last thing we want to do is run around to one more event during an already busy season. It's become just one more thing to cross off an already busy calendar and in truth, I'd much rather be at home sipping a cocktail while snuggling with my boys.
To summarize-
We are saying no to events that take away from our family time. Family as in, just the three of us.
We are saying no to anything that brings undue stress.
We are saying no to commercialism and over spending.
We are changing the way we gift.
We are saying no to anything that doesn't promote the true reason for the season.
And you guys, I can't even begin to tell you how freakin' excited I am about all of this! A chance to slow down and enjoy my boys and my favorite time of year. SO GOOD!
We will still be participating in our volunteer events and making sure to give back to our community. We will still make time for extended family if they choose to come to us as our home is always open to loved ones. We will still have some presents under the tree and Santa will still make his way to our home, although his bag will be just a little lighter this year. We will focus on our family traditions and we will make some beautiful new memories. And perhaps next year we will opt back in but for now- we are simply saying no.
This year, we are slowing it down and taking the time to enjoy each other during this most blessed time. Can I encourage you to do some of the same?
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