The stressful pangs of Christmas creep are upon us. There is no merrymaking in town these days. The mall is positively the worst place to be this time of year. I’ve witnessed more than one parking space smack down, and those women toting giant Tory Burch bags will use those gold logo medallions as a weapon. Grocery store aisles are packed while shelves are not. The post office line looks like the line at the Apple store, but upon closer examination you’ll only see old people in quilted barn jackets standing there. Yep, I was among them. I might have spent more on shipping than the presents themselves. Christmas is a week away, and the air is ripe with stress.
This is no way to celebrate the season. Consumerism clouds our intent all too often. The spirit of the season gives way to to-do lists as long as Santa’s nice list. There is little joy and peace amongst us, while our collective angst is palpable.
We all scramble to get it all done. We beat ourselves up for being behind. We let Pinterest be our barometer. We fall behind even more because no one functions happily and efficiently under duress. We achingly march through our list, failing to stop and smell the evergreens.
I’m here to tell you to stop. Just. Stop.
It’s OK if teachers don’t get handmade gifts.
It’s OK if your neighbors don’t get Pinterest-worthy mason jar crafts.
It’s OK if your neighbors don’t get anything but a smile and a blessing of Merry Christmas.
It’s OK if you burn the cookies. There are myriad tasty options at every store.
It’s OK if you left the price tag on a present.
It’s OK to follow a budget.
It’s OK to wrap everything in a gift bag.
It’s OK if said gift bag has no tissue paper.
It’s OK to indulge.
It’s OK if you and the kids don’t make a batch of reindeer food.
It’s OK if you don’t even know what reindeer food is.
It’s OK if you don’t have carrots for the reindeer and leave dog food instead.
It’s OK if you wear last year’s dress to the holiday party. People will remember your radiance and witty repartee.
It’s OK if you serve cans of beer and screw top wine at your party.
It’s OK if Costco caters your party.
It’s OK if your wrapping paper doesn’t match your tree decor.
It’s OK if you don’t use any ribbon or bows or hand stamped tags on your gifts.
It’s OK if you don’t send holiday cards.
It’s OK if you never put up the lights on the house.
It’s OK if you forget to move the Elf.
It’s OK if you don’t have matching Christmas jammies for the whole family.
It’ OK if you choose pizza or Chinese food for Christmas dinner.
It’s OK if you miss church.
It’s OK if you go to church, even if you haven’t been for a year.
It’s OK to not have plans for New Year’s Eve.
It’s OK to take a step back and step away.
It’s OK to adjust your lenses and see the season in a new light.
It’s OK to give yourself the gift of a mental Etch-A-Sketch shake.
It’s OK to admit when you’ve had enough. And admit that you are enough.
Christmas has devolved to mass hysteria. There’s griping and rushing and over taxing of ourselves and each other. I implore you to slow down and reassess what the season means to you. The madness stops with me, with you. Think about what you and your family will look back on with fondness. Focus on what you can do versus what you should do. And Lord knows I hate to say this, but let it go. The magic will find you. If you slow down and simplify, Christmas really will be OK.
And as I’ve done in years past, I want to share what Christmas means to me. There’s one special person in my heart this season. If nothing else, I assure you that reading this will make the season sparkle in a meaningful way.