Holiday Happenings

The holiday season is almost officially upon us. If you count Halloween as part of the "season", it's already here. We have big plans for a fun "Halloween" Saturday, a Halloween parade and Fall Festival the day before Halloween, and trick-or-treating in the hometown the day of... all right around the corner! Combine all those plans with the fact that Christmas lists from us and the boys have been requested and we've already discussed and somewhat finalized Thanksgiving festivities, and I'd say that the holiday season is most definitely here. In our midst. Yay! I just love this time of year.

However, it always comes with stresses and concerns. Every single year. Praise God our stresses and concerns are minor. They aren't real problems, just little inconveniences and issues that leave us discussing how we'll spend our time (and where) and what in the world is best for our children to receive as gifts, for hours on end. Seriously. This time every year Terrell and I talk and talk and discuss a little further what is best and why. Oh the analyzation and pros and cons are endless. Until we're eventually tired of talking about it and both slightly stressed and testy.

This year we're making a sort of tough decision to cut down on our Thanksgiving holiday with family. It was a tough decision to make initially because we want as much time with our parents, grandparents, siblings, and family as possible. That's what makes the holidays special and memorable and fun for us. However, after last year's Thanksgiving experience we realized doing things the same way we always have isn't best or fair for us and our kiddos. So that made it a sort of easy decision that we're at peace with.

For the first time in years and years (or ever maybe) we're going to miss our hometown's "Lighting of the Trees" on Thanksgiving Eve. This year, we won't be arriving in the hometown until Thanksgiving morning. Gasp! It's a big, big deal. We're sacrificing a tradition in the name of sleep and keeping our sanity.

Last year the boys just couldn't fully enjoy and appreciate the Lighting of the Trees because they were out too late and didn't really understand all that was going on, and then we couldn't go home to our own beds because we were spending the night with family. Plus, on top of the late night and exhausted boys we had a long, FULL day the next day. All of that combined meant a rough night for mama and daddy and 2 boys who were tired and overstimulated before Thanksgiving Day even began. By the time we got home on Saturday we were drained and exhausted... and determined there had to be a better way.  

Even though I'm going to miss eating supper Wednesday night with our parents and seeing old friends and singing Christmas carols with the people and community I love so much, it's for the best. It is necessary. For sure. One day, hopefully, when we live 5 minutes away and can go home to our own beds the tradition will be back in order.

This year for Thanksgiving we're also only going to spend Thursday night away. We'll still see both sides of the family and get to spend Thanksgiving Day with both of our parents, which is a HUGE blessing, but then it's time to head home on Friday. Saturday will be dedicated to decorating our tree, decorating the boys' trees, decorating our house, and officially kicking off the Christmas season, something we've intended to do every year but something that has never quite worked out because of spending that extra night in B'ville.

While this year will be slightly different for us it will look very similar to the way my childhood holidays looked... which is why I know it'll be okay. I grew up in the same town as practically my whole family and got to see both sets of grandparents every holiday... and we never had to spend the night with them or see them everyday for a whole week to make it special. So even though it'll be different, I know it'll be okay.

As for Christmas, plans and traditions will pretty much stay the same for at least 1 more year... although we know if we don't move soon change is on the horizon. But for now, we think we have Christmas plans settled...

And now it's time for final decisions to be made about Christmas gifts for the boys. Ahhhh. This one is a toughie. We have the budget to keep in mind. We have space and storage to keep in mind. (We are adding another little person to the family shortly after Christmas. We can't house a toy store inside our home. It's impossible.) We also have the "overboard" and "spoiled" factor to consider. We don't want our kids to get/have so much that they're materialistic or forget the true meaning of Christmas or just have so much that they aren't appreciative and can't even play with it all.

Sooo, all of that makes Christmas lists and decisions about what Santa will bring, what we'll give them, and what family members will give them a big huge challenge. We always give them an "experience" or special outing for their birthdays so I'd rather not use that again at Christmas. I'd just like to cut back. Just do less across the board. That's what the budget wants us to do too. And don't forget that's what the space in our house prefers as well.

So, as we make out their lists for them this year and consider the gifts they'll receive from everyone (us and Santa included), things will be kept to a minimum. The whole list will not consist of toys. And the whole list will not be a mile long. We're going to go for quality versus quantity with a few needed and practical gifts thrown in. They'll still have a generous Christmas but we are determined it won't be overboard. Something we need to be in much prayer about. Christmas isn't all about the lists and gifts anyway.

So there you have it. Our holiday happenings in the works. Plans can definitely change. Christmas lists will probably for sure change, especially as we struggle to keep things simple and somewhat smaller this year. But the most important parts of the holidays for us is faith and family. We want Christ to be at the center and family to be close. We want to share traditions as a family of almost 5, and share traditions with the whole fam. We want good memories and fun times and to give back in some way.

Every year we stress and get a little too worked up over the details (because they are a big part of enjoying the holidays and keeping our sanity), but if we keep our focus on faith and family, and align our priorities accordingly, we know we'll be fine and we will in fact survive the craziness of the holidays and spending the night away and driving up and down Highway 36 fifty thousand times and having a crazy, busy, fun time with our families. We always say every year, this is a good problem to have. Because it is. We are blessed with lots and lots of holiday happenings. God is good and we are grateful.