I have been hanging out at my laptop this morning, catching up on some of my work. I've glimpsed fairly regularly out my window, keeping an eye out for Earl, my favorite squirrel. He just isn't any where to be found. I think he must be like me ... chilled to the bone and wanting to just hunker down inside with my sweats on. Do you think Earl is sitting inside a tree somewhere with his Notre Dame sweatshirt on and a pair of fleece slippers?
So I've found myself already in a pre-holiday stress mode. And I swore that this would not be the case. I received my first Christmas cards in the mail yesterday, which prompted me to think, "Oh no, I haven't even THOUGHT about addressing mine." I casually strode down the aisles of Meijer's yesterday, wanting to see how much Bakugan's were for my son (a toy that I had never heard of until this year), and realized they are completely picked over. When I inquired about another shipment coming in, the saleslady just snickered and said, "Good luck with finding them in this town!" So now I'm stressed about finding the right gifts.
I look around my house at the clean clothes that need to be put away, at the layer of dust on my window sill, and the stacks of paperwork handcrafted by my children that I must secretly recycle one day, and I feel overwhelmed and underperforming as a wife and mother. And unless the magical cleaning fairy comes to pay me a visit, I'm thinking that I need a miracle in order to get my house in a presentable fashion.
So the yearly question during this time of year is: What is important? And even though I know the answer to that question, why is it so hard to breathe and stay focused on that thought? Aren't we supposed to be enjoying the season? Aren't we supposed to be relaxed, smiling and soaking in the warmth and love that surrounds us this time of year? Why is it so easy to get rattled, to get worked up, and to obsess about decorations that need hanging, presents that need wrapping, and cards that need signing?
I don't have a good answer. But I do know that staying connected to the church, that having our community around us, that staying in touch with friends and allowing ourselves the time to reflect, helps keep us focused on the bigger picture. Christmas is a time of rejoicing, of celebration, of sharing love and recognizing the greatest gift of all: Our Father.
Do you think Earl the Squirrel would understand? If I see him, I'll be sure to ask.
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That darn holiday stress..it always has a way of creeping up on us, doesn't it? Here's a little poem that talks about the demands of a mother with young ones, but it can apply to anyone who is dealing with the feeling of being overwhelmed:
Oh give me patience when tiny hands
Tug at me with their small demands.
And give me gentle and smiling eyes;
Keep my lips from sharp replies.
And let not fatigue, confusion or noise
Obscure my vision of life's fleeting joys.
So when, years later, my house is still,
No bitter memories its room may fill.
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