Enjoying our Stress-Free Christmas

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It's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of Christmas and it can easily become a stressful time of the year instead of a joyful one. In our family, we know that Faith does best when her normal routines are kept and the fewer surprises the better. We tried our best this year to keep everything as low-key as possible and do less for Christmas than we have in the past. This included less shopping, less baking, and less activities in general.

Instead of baking Happy Birthday Jesus cupcakes this year for Faith's teachers and caretakers, I found these cupcake Christmas tree ornaments and I wrote on the bottom of each one "Happy Birthday Jesus 2013"

All I really wanted for Christmas anyway was to go our Christmas Eve service at church. While Faith wasn't willing at first, eventually she relented. The next day since opening Christmas gifts is outside of her normal routine, we had to actually coax her to open the gifts. Hard to believe for a 10-year-old, I know. Going to church and opening gifts was enough Christmas for her.

Me and Faith and our matching "Bison Nation" T-shirts

Daddy and Faith opening gifts on Christmas morning

Although I tried to coax her into going to our family gathering at Grandma and Grandpa's, she had simply had enough of doing things outside of her routine and did not want to go. Instead of the battle escalating to an all-out screaming fit, I just let it go. Of course, I was disappointed, but I ended up having a great time with my family!

My sisters bought everyone these funky holiday shirts and we all put them on for our family photos. It was a lot of fun to see what kind of shirt everyone got. Both my parents got Duck Dynasty shirts that say, "Duck the Halls." They got my brother a sweater that we all thought was ugly but decided it actually looked pretty good on him! We also enjoyed lots of yummy food and played a hilarious board game called "Loaded Questions." There was certainly no shortage of fun and laughter!

Having fun with the family in our awesome holiday shirts!

This year, I learned that by doing less and having less stress makes for a much Merrier Christmas. Not only that but it also allows us to focus on the real reason for the season - the birth of our Savior.

Comments

  1. bedaacrs@yahoo.comDecember 26, 2013 at 8:10 AM

    Dear Faith,
    Maybe Faith is much wiser that the rest of us who have to go to every extreme to make it a dazzling time!! We eat too much sugar and rich food and wonder why we feel ill!! We stay up too late, shop too hard etc. No wonder there is a let down afew days later!! Through the years it has gotten much quieter here. The kids are grown but none married so they are home every holiday so that means I am always cooking!! I go abit over board with decorating the house. My depression days, though taught me that alot of light is a good way to ward off depression in these dark winter days. I do no baking, all my shopping was pretty much online. I had the Christmas children's service to plan in church. We are so tiny we only have four kids right now but there are tiny ones coming up!! That was stressful with the younger moms full time workers I had to take over. Christmas Eve was our final practise and even then noone had tried on costumes to know what fit!! It was a real chaotic time with things changing right up til the program was to start. On the way to church I still had to walk into the barn in my good clothes and get manger hay!!! Some lines were forgotten. One nervous little seven yr old pulled off his tie and sent his halo flying! The first bit they were all angels of Christmas, but were far from angels otherwise!! Some lines were missed, they sang loudly but off pitch, but some how I have to think Jesus gets s chuckle at our meager attempts at perfection!!! It was a great Christmas anyway! Now for some rest!!

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