Christmas 2008

Before I was a mom and wife, I used to get really excited about Christmas. Who wouldn't? Presents, secrets, hoping you get something special, hoping the gifts you got for others is exactly what they wanted, decorating, seasonal sweet treats, the lights, hoping for snow, etc. It's easy to get excited when someone else (the adult) has to do all the shopping, cooking, buying, planning, hauling, wrapping, saving.

Now that I'm the adult, I do still get excited about Christmas, but I don't seem to have enough time to do everything that I plan to do. It's easy for me to get stressed and lose sight of what is important.

It doesn't matter that we just now got the tree in the house. It doesn't matter that Paul cut his thumb with the saw while preparing the bottom of the tree. It doesn't matter that the bottom of the tree split and may not stay up straight or stay up at all. It doesn't matter that Paul got another headache from carrying the tree into the house and then got a nose bleed. It doesn't matter that we don't have any decorations outside. It doesn't matter that our Christmas cards aren't addressed, stamped and sent yet. It doesn't matter that I don't have a picture taken or ordered for the cards. It doesn't matter that all the water that I poured into the tree stand came pouring out the bottom onto the carpet. It doesn't matter that we'll have to wait until tomorrow to see if the "gasket in a tube" sealed the stand so that we can water the tree before it turns brown and dies. It doesn't matter that we'll have to wait another day to decorate the tree. It doesn't matter that I currently do not know where the Christmas tree lights are. It doesn't matter that the house is so messy that it overwhelms the Christmas decorations that we did put out. It doesn't matter that I am now getting sick with the same thing that Paul had last week.

What does matter is that Abbie and I had fun decorating the inside of the house tonight. It does matter that I let her decide where all the decorations should go (and I didn't go behind her and re-do it). It does matter that she came up with a new way to decorate the fireplace mantel, and it's looks great, and I told her so. It does matter that Abbie is looking forward to buying some gifts for the family that her class "adopted."

I'm thankful that I have a child who helps me remember the spirit of Christmas. And I'm thankful that I have a great husband who doesn't complain about all the tree catastrophes.