Holiday Do's and Won'ts

Today is Thanksgiving, and in all honesty it hasn't been the best one we've ever had. Thankfully, we know we have plenty to be thankful about, and it isn't all about this one day. We are still home in Bentonville and did not travel to be with Stuart's family today because Arden is sick. She got a cold this week, and it got progressively worse yesterday with more coughing and a high fever. She woke up in the middle of the night burning up, so we all stayed here today to see if she improves. So, it has been a bit of a let-down. The boys were upset that they didn't get to eat Thanksgiving with their grandmother, and I had most of the food here since I was going to transport it five hours to my in-law's. So, my mother-in-law had no meal today. I did prepare the ham and side dishes for us to eat, but it just didn't really feel like Thanksgiving. Arden's fever was gone this morning, but now that it is almost early evening, she is looking flushed again, and sure enough, she is running a temp. Sigh. So, it might be that she has to go to the pediatrician tomorrow while Stuart and the boys go to visit his mom.

I can't believe that we are already in the holiday season, and in reality, I am having to make some changes this year because I just feel a bit overwhelmed. I am really busy at school, and my free planning time is being taken up with National Board revisions, copying student work, and planning lessons that I can use to fit National Board entries. I will be done by early April, but this is getting to be peak time in this process. I did order quite a few Christmas gifts online in order to get ahead on the game, and that has helped tremendously. It is very relaxing to have Amazon deliver large boxes right to my front door!

So, this season, I have decided that there will have to be some do's and some won'ts. I can't do it all; I do not want to feel rushed and stressed throughout the entire holiday season and miss the reflection on our Savior's birth and enjoying quality time with my kids. So, this year there will not be any Christmas cards going out. I will not be dressing up my kids in matching outfits and trying to get the perfect photo to send out on Christmas cards to friends. I figure everyone can remember what we looked like from last year, and then I will try again next year. In fact, I think I may permanently do Christmas cards on a bi-yearly schedule. I will not dress up the kids in matching pajamas when they have plenty of pairs that will do, and I will not put out all the extra Christmas decorations this year. I think just the mantle, stockings, and tree will do me in! I won't attend work parties that I really don't want to go to, and I won't wrap all my gifts in matching, themed Christmas paper. I shortened the Christmas list, and the kids will get less presents this year in order to save both time and money. Every year it seems that they are finished with most of the toys by New Years anyway! I won't mail packages at the post office, so any gift out of my area will have to be a gift card or shipped by a merchant directly.

However, I will decorate our tree with 41 years of my own ornaments and ones for each of my kids' years since birth. We will shop with each child for their perfect ornament to symbolize 2011. We will decorate a gingerbread house and put way too much candy on it, so that the candies on the roof begin to slide off. I will take Owen to see a Christmas holiday theater production, and we will all trek up to Branson to enjoy the Christmas lights at Silver Dollar City. My mom and I will go to see Crystal Bridges museum, and I will take the kids to ice skate outdoors at our local ice skating rink. We will watch The Grinch, The Sound of Music, and The Charlie Brown Christmas special. Stuart will pop popcorn the old-fashioned way on the stove, and we will eat lots of candy canes. I will attempt the advent readings that I try to do each year but usually only make to day 10. We will enjoy Christmas specials on tv and read our collection of Christmas books to the children out loud each night. My classes will collect presents for 3 needy children, and I will deliver them to a collection site. I will give my kids money to put in the red pot for Salvation Army each time we go to Walmart. We will drink a lot of egg nog. We will play Uno, Life, and Connect Four. We will sing Christmas carols at church, and the kids will play with the Little People nativity set.

I will try to look at the season through the eyes of a child and enjoy the wonder. We will make reindeer food to put out on Christmas Eve, and the kids will play football outside with their cousins.

My "to do's" need to have more meaning and be less about impressing people or living up to expectations. I am sorry if you will miss our Christmas card this year,and I hope you understand; however, you are more than welcome to come and decorate our gingerbread house, go ice skating, or play board games with us!