Stop the Holiday Craziness!

My feet have been dragging!
I've been having trouble getting into the Christmas spirit.

The problem is that it is all too much!
Do you ever feel that way?

Decorations Sorted and Ready to Pack Last January

Time is getting shorter as the 25th rushes at me ~

but my To Do list gets longer as I procrastinate.

I'm feeling overwhelmed and a little resentful.

I have a bad case of the Christmas Blues.

"Get Rid of the Have-tos and Should-dos," proclaims Dr. Phil 

in the November issue of The Oprah Magazine.

So I'm drinking coffee and contemplating my Want-Tos.

What do I really want to do this holiday season,

and what can I let go of?

Decorations Waiting to Be Unpacked This December

Christmas is all about tradition ~

and like most families,

my extended family has many 

wonderful Christmas traditions.

But how do I distill all the wonderful,

but overwhelming traditions 

into the essence of Christmas ~

an essence I can relax into and enjoy?   

For the past several years, 

I have had a singular Christmas tradition.

I look long and hard at a photo

my niece Lisa took in Peru in 2009.

Peruvian Child, 2009

That photo pierced my heart the first time I saw it.

No child should look 

so dirty, 

so cold,

so disheartened.

It still pierces my heart.

That 2009 Christmas 

I stopped giving presents to my extended family,

and I began to make a donation to charity 

in their names instead.

In 2009 Terry and I gave a knitting basket 

of a llama, an alpaca, a sheep, and an Angora rabbit

to provide a family with milk, warmth, and income.

My family embraced this gift whole-heartedly.

Llama

Source:  Wikimedia

Continuing with our relatively new tradition,

this year Terry and I donated a heifer

in the name of our extended family.

Heifer

Source:  Wikimedia

  

But I'm still feeling dissatisfied and harried.

So aside from the spiritual meaning of Christmas,

what else does this holiday stand for?

I'm thinking love and gratitude.

What does it mean to you?

I think the answer to my Christmas Blues

lies in simplifying what I do during the holiday season.

Seriously simplifying,

because when it comes right down to it,

I just want to relax and enjoy 

being with Terry, our family, and friends.

I absolutely don't want to be stressed!

Decorations Waiting to Be Packed Last January

So I'm going to cut that myriad of traditions

down to a meaningful, manageable size!

I'm not sure yet what that means,

but I'm going to start with trimming down 

that ridiculous pile of decorations!

And I'm going to focus on gratitude

for all that I have been blessed with,

starting with the Ever~Patient Terry

who is the best possible husband

in the whole wide world for me.

My Hawaiian E~P

And what am I grateful for

on this cold, clear morning in Colorado?

I am grateful to be warm.

Baby, it is cold outside!

And I am really grateful for the men  

who hand-shoveled our driveway 

in the cold, dark subzero last night.

Now I haven't lost my baby,

haven't made him say goodbye;

but the music in this lovely winter song

sounds like I feel today.

 Source:  You Tube ~ sarahmclachlanVEVO

How are you dealing with the holiday craziness?
I am so open to suggestions for banishing the Christmas Blues!