By now, all the “good” Halloween candy is gone from the stash, we’ve turned the calendar to November and, in just a few weeks, we’ll be giving thanks with family and friends. The year-end becomes a big mix of excitement/dread/anxiety and celebration.
Why do we put so much pressure on ourselves to make the perfect holiday experiences? When was the last time you commented on how perfectly the linens were pressed at the Thanksgiving table? Not one person has ever mentioned how perfectly straight the trunk of my Christmas tree is, or that we have captured the ultimate family pose on the holiday card. Instead, we reminisce about a family recipe, or enjoy retelling the story about the elf on the shelf invited herself along on our trip, or how last year the entire turkey ended up on the floor.
There is so much pressure to have the “perfect holidays” but, if you think about it, unless a major life event happened, most holidays start to blend together. To be honest, more than a handful of my fondest holiday memories are based on mishaps. In fact, just a couple weeks ago I asked my kids what they remembered from last Thanksgiving and Christmas. Other than the food, it was the experiences that held their memories – from raking a huge pile of leaves that the kids jump in for an hour, to belting out Christmas carols in the car because we can’t wait for December, or enjoying a craft day instead of Black Friday shopping.
Do yourself a favor and don’t worry so much about having the perfect holidays, instead just enjoy them.
