I don't know about you, but Christmas has been on my mind a lot the last couple of weeks! There are reminders of the upcoming season everywhere! (Including the 6,000 new toy commercials that are being played constantly on Disney Jr and Nick Jr.! Ugh!)
Every year I struggle with the balance of making Christmas special while not blowing our budget. Inevitably, I forget to budget for the "little things", like all the baking ingredients and stocking stuffers....which isn't really so little with all the baking I do and all the stockings I fill! I also get caught up in some impulse buying, because there are so many cute toys/clothes and the "kids would just love this...and this, and this"!
Christmas morning comes, and I realize that some of the things that I thought they would "love" they really could have done without. Buyers remorse sinks in....sigh!
There is so much "special" in Christmas! The special food and the special treats and the special gifts and the special movies and the special decoration and the special music...lots and lots of special. There are also lots of opportunities for special giving and I love how God puts friends or strangers on our heart to share all the blessings we have.
Creating all this "special" is a lot of work for moms. I try hard to keep a balance so that I add happiness and cheer to this season and keep myself from becoming Scrooge-like! There are always some bumpy moments...just like during 'regular' non-holiday seasons. Keeping peace is important, though, and I have learned over the years when to say "when"...usually long before the meltdown stage. (So, I know that while I might write down 15 different types of cookies during my seasonal cookbook perusal for Christmas treats, usually I only make 8 to 10 come 'baking day' to keep the moment enjoyable!)
This year, I am determined to stick to the budget and not venture away from the list! This will be such a struggle...I love to shop and once I get going, it is soooo hard to stop!
I need to stay focused on my plan to have an all cash Christmas and create the "special" within the real budget. I want the true Love of Christmas to fill my family, my friends, and my home. My hypothesis is that having more balance will make our Christmas celebrations more peaceful. Where there is balance, there is always so much more satisfaction and peace....
...and I really like peace!
