Christmas 2012

So what if it was last year?

So what if I'm just two months behind?

So whatever.

My kids had Christmas.  It wasn't a big one this year.  I get so overwhelmed with the holiday season.  And frankly it bores me.  That was brutally honest.  But this year I was so over the commercial aspect of it.  Let's all give gifts to get gifts.  Let's give for the sake of giving .. because we have to.  Here's your gift card.  Now where's mine?

I think this year I will do something about this.  Turn it back around for my kids ... But it's so so hard not to get caught up in the gifts.  I'm not sure how I'm going to do this shift .. but it's going to happen.  Mark my word.

Actually the best part of this holiday was spending it at Ally's house.  Christmas Eve.  She did the nativity with all the kids.  As I watched .. a feeling of peace came over me.  My kids actually participated which I was shocked.  Not one complaint.  I didn't say a word.  It's not like it was quiet either.  I am discovering that's not what peace is necessarily.  It's a feeling you have deep within your soul.

So I thank Ally this year for giving me back a piece of what Christmas is all about...

Hayley and I Christmas Eve ...

And now for the obligatory commercial Santa aspect of Christmas. Which I have to say one thing positive about.  My kids are thankfully always grateful for the things they receive.  Always gracious.  To say thank you.  To be satisfied.  Even with the scaled back Christmas ... I still heard the words "this was the best Christmas ever"...

I have to say that the best part of Christmas to me as a mom ... is watching my kids open their gifts. That's the definition of JOY.