Truth: Since this post, I’ve been trying to get it up for Christmas, but it’s not working.
Today I was trying to figure out specifically what my problem is this year and how to solve it. I came up with a couple things.
1. Christmas should be a warm weather holiday. In theory, snow on Christmas is awesome. In reality, cold weather blows. Black ice on the roads while you’re driving around trying to get your shopping done. The fact that you spend a good portion of that trip waiting for the car (and your body) to get to a reasonably warm temperature. Your choice of 30-degree temps with gray, dreary skies, or 10-degree temps with plenty of sun. Trying to look cute in holiday clothes when you’ve gained 10 pounds of winter/holiday weight and have to wear a parka. My point is, Christmas would be so much better in hot weather. I don’t need no stinkin’ Christmas tree, but a holiday pool party sounds amazing.
2. Elimination of all obligatory gifts. Nothing screams “I love you and am happy to have you in my life” more than being forced to buy a gift for a specific day.
3. Mandatory two weeks off from work. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty much overwhelmed by everything right now. I think everyone who celebrates the holiday should get the week between Christmas and New Year’s off, as well as a week of their choice in December to take care of all things holiday related.
4. A bigger gap between Thanksgiving and Christmas. This time of year is ridiculous. There’s barely a month between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and that’s just not enough time to get everything done and enjoy the season. I don’t even have children, so I can’t imagine what things are like right now for people with rugrats. I think Christmas in June or August would be perfect (refer to No. 1).
5. Let people spend the holiday with the people they really want to be with. Something that’s bothered me about Christmas for years now is some people’s expectations that you have to spend time with family. I know how that sounds, so let me explain. I love most of my family dearly, but come on — we all have a few people we could take or leave. The ones who aren’t nice, or who manipulate us, or who go out of their way to make us feel small. We avoid them the rest of the year, so why do we have to hang out with them at Christmas? It’s supposed to a fun, wonderful holiday, and here we are miserable we have to be around these assholes. Ugh. The sense of obligation needs to stop. If you don’t ever talk to me except around Christmastime? You’re out.
Are you loving the Christmas season this year? If you could, would you change anything about the holiday?
My big idea for revamping Christmas has always been to put it in February instead of December. Then we can have the lights on and such all winter, and by the time they go down it’s almost time for the food weather again!. You have extra time to prepare, and a longer lead time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and it makes a gloomy after-holiday season much more cheerful.
I recently said to someone that I wished I lived somewhere warmer at Christmas. I’d be much more willing to put up outdoor lights and decorate if I didn’t have to stand outside in the cold to put them up and take them down. Also, I wish it was permissible to leave your Christmas decorations up for longer than just a few weeks. Seems like so much work to put everything up just to take it down a few weeks later.
I am in a transition year this Christmas. My children are starting their own holiday traditions that don’t include two weeks at home between semesters. I was really struggling with the “loss” of our family traditions. But as we get closer to the actual day I am finding that I really kind of like the change. I don’t know if it is because our new “Secret Santa” tradition means less shopping or if it is because I have time this year to just relax and enjoy the meal planning and making a few surprise gifts. I just know that when I just accepted the natural changes that come with all of us getting a little older I was able to relax and just enjoy. And yes I am going to the obligatory family gathering that involves driving in potentially crappy weather but what the heck. It’s Christmas.
I so wish I had two weeks off for the holiday, this year, my time at home seems super short, but I will make it count!
I find Christmas to be quite stressful. I won’t be spending part of the day with my husband because of my mother. I don’t think it’s fair, so your point about letting people spend the day with the people they want to is one I really agree with. I wish families wouldn’t be so demanding…..