It is the time of year we all love and simultaneously dread, the holidays.
Love:
- Christmas carols- now that Thanksgiving is over, not a minute before. Silent night is my favorite traditional carol.
- The smell of the Christmas tree when I enter the house.
- The lights on the houses.
- Sweater weather!
- Cocoa and hot toddies.
- Lots of awesomely sinful snacks everywhere.
- Time with my family and friends.
- The Ref. If you have not seen this movie find it and watch it. It'll make your list next year. Dennis Leary, Kevin Spacey- awesome.
- Cooking and hosting large meals for large and small gatherings. I always make a ton of food whether it is four people or forty coming over there will be left-overs.
Dreading:
- Shopping. I really do hate it and crowds make it so much worse.
- The line at the post office. Yep, we still have to go to the post office because we add handmade stuff from the kids or cookies.
- Planning far enough in advance so the presents arrive in time. My fault I moved to the other side of the country and I suck at planning. I am very last minute with everything.
- Waiting until the kids finally fall asleep, you parents know why. My goodness they outlast me every year and then they are wide awake in the morning and have to drag me out of bed.
- Remembering where all the presents are hidden. Since I don't shop all at once making sure that each child has the same amount of gifts and then re-hiding the extra to try and remember to use it for a birthday or a special reward soon before I forget about it. Just found a frozen DVD when I hid a present last month. There is not a single child left on the planet who doesn't have a copy of that video already.
Happily my love list far out weighs my dreading list. This year we won't have any family staying with us, which is quite unusual, and the kids are actually looking forward to a morning with just us. I will miss the house guests but will relish more time with my family.
I wish you all a very happy, calm, relaxing, holiday season filled with family, fun and a great book.
I'd love to hear what makes your Love and Dreading list for the holidays. Please take a moment to share.
