December is like running a marathon for women. Over and
over. It’s a month-long test of our good cheer, physical endurance and
imagination. Christmas is a ton of work for women. And it starts on December 1st
and doesn’t let up until after the 31st. That is over four weeks of
being crazy-busy while maintaining a semblance of charm and sociability that’s
almost impossible. It’s hard.
Anyone out there agree?
Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE Christmas. Some would say I ”lerv”
Christmas. In some ways I revert to the little girl of days gone by, and my
heart gets all afluttery at the possibilities of Christmas Magic--believing I
hear reindeer hooves on the roof, waiting for the jolly man from the North Pole
to bring presents directly to the house (better than Amazon and Fed Ex!) and
everyone in such a fantastic mood for weeks on end. All of a sudden, the person
at the mailbox who never makes eye contact is wishing you a wonderful day. It’s
like when I lived on Maui and worked with tourists. Everyone was in such a
great mood! You see the best side of people. It’s like calling off war for one
night-- a ceasefire. Except we call off the stress of real life to be cheerful
for weeks on end. Oh, but wait. Christmas isn’t stress-free. Many of us are
working like squirrels on crack to make the month perfect and our smiles are
fueled by Starbucks and Chardonnay.
Although I’m approaching the twilight years of mothering
with an 18 year-old boy and an almost 13 year-old girl, the month of December
is filled with this woman’s maniacal need to make her family happy. Everything
must be perfect, and just like I remember from my childhood. If it’s not, I’ll
take the blame. But it will be perfect, dammit.
As women, we start the month searching for the perfect
presents for everyone, from our own children to the mail delivery person. Then,
shipping off boxes to relatives (this week, Ladies!), and then digging out the
decorations from the messy garage full of mouse droppings, Halloween decorations,
and old carpets. We then organize our family to go out as a group to get the
tree and hope we’ll all agree on Norfolk Pine or Douglas Fir without arguments,
and that it won’t be pouring rain, and the kids will get out of the car and
pose for a picture. We march the young kids off to the mall to line up for an
hour and expect them to cheerfully sit on a strange man’s lap to tell him what gifts
their selfish little selves want later in the month when he basically breaks in
to the family home. If you love sugary treats, do you bake holiday confections
that your family remembers fondly every year but eats in less than 14 seconds? Yup. We set up a wrapping station on the
dining room table, we untangle webs of Christmas lights only to find that when
we turn on the tree, the lights have one tiny burned out bulb and there is no
way of knowing which culprit has prevented the whole tree from lighting up. We
play Christmas music during the kids’ carpool, bake for classroom parties, wear
wreath pins, put red neckerchiefs on the dog, hide presents in the laundry room
that will need extensive assemblage on Christmas Eve, hang decorative stockings,
haul out photos of the kids through the ages with Santa, and plan dinner
parties, game nights, cocktails with adults, and tobogganing parties. We pop
popcorn to string with cranberries for the tree and even buy those thin recipe
books at the grocery store touting new appetizer recipes.
Looking back on eighteen years of this, I think I reached a
Christmas feverish frenzy early--when my son was ten and my daughter was five.
It was then I started to taper off gradually every year. A little less here and
there until finally I’m using pre-made cookie dough, one fake tree (prelit) and
one real, less gatherings at our house, fewer garlands on the railings (no
lights wound artfully around the garland), bare-necked dogs, no caroling, no
mantelpiece Christmas village, throwing the decorations at the tree instead of
artful placement, fewer outside lights (love those blowup Santa’s and webbed
shrub lights) and letting someone else host Christmas dinner. Driving around
the neighborhood to see the beautiful lights now happens on the way home from
the grocery store where I buy a big bag of red and green M & M’s and
Pillsbury cookie dough. (Try corn flakes, marshmallows, green food coloring and
those red cinnamon balls.)
Like Burt Bacharach said so long ago “Make it Easy on
Yourself.” Pretty sure he wasn’t talking about Christmas but that’s because
he’s a man and they tend to sit back and watch the women turn into whirling
dervishes in the first week of December and not slow down until the perfect New
Year’s Eve has been had by all. Men have it easy. Women do not. We have to grab
our moments between shopping, baking and smiling.
Pace yourselves Ladies. If you find yourself feeling
stressed by mid-month, pull back. Retreat. Assess injuries, make a new plan and
go in again. Buy that cheese ball instead of milking the cow and making the
cheese.
And with that time you’ve saved by not making all the fudge
for the School Craft Fair, feel free to dig in to a fun 2 – 3 hour Romance
Novella. Be my guest. Curl up with a cozy blanket in front of the fire when the
house is quiet and treat yourself to a story. Get lost in someone else’s
Christmas for a few hours. You deserve a little something to take you through
to the 31st. Like a bubble bath, a wonderful romance story will
refresh you for the next few tasks. Don’t forget to treat yourself along the
way.
Here’s Something for You: Free Today and Tomorrow, (Dec 3rd
and 4th) Christmas in Whistler is the story of a
divorced mom of young girls who feels the loneliness of the holidays when the
children go to their father’s for Christmas, and she makes a bold move to grab
something for herself.
Pick up an e-copy and read a lovely holiday romance, when
you get a few moments to yourself. You deserve it. You’re welcome.
 |
| Whistler Mountain, Canada |
Do you have a time-saving trick you can share with the rest
of us? Do share!
Kim Hornsby is an
award-winning author, blogger. and former actress and singer. She lives in the
Seattle area where she writes novels overlooking a pristine tree-lined lake.
When she lived in Whistler, seventeen years ago, she skied almost every day and
got to know Whistler Mountain like the back of her hand. She also likes to
dress up like a Christmas tree at Halloween parties with friends.
4 comments:
I think it starts before Thanksgiving, somewhere around Veterans Day, and it just keeps going through the first week of January. Whew!
Denise
Waiting for the Christmas eagerly!!! Travelteq Bags
You're right! Oh my gosh. Now I'm really tired.
What's your favorite part Elizabeth?
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