I get such a f**king kick out of the holidays, it is nauseating. I don’t know when this love of Christmas took over my life, as a little kid my brother and I would spend hours looking through the JCPenny catalog marking pages and picking out toys that we just had to have. Does anyone remember the Cabbage Patch craze? My Aunt Barb at the time worked at Meijer and managed to snag a doll for me, which in itself was a Christmas miracle.
Christmas has evolved for me over the years, Josh and I made a decision several years back that we were going to do holidays our way. We would take it in small doses, set up time to spend with various family members and friends outside large gatherings. We then spend time us and the dogs and yes they get stockings and presents…we’re pretty much the best fur mom and dad ever.
For me, it is all about the experiences. I love baking cookies with the nephews and nieces, mixing up holiday drinks, wrapping presents, giving presents, wearing red and green, decorating the house, cabin and office…you get the picture.
I met with someone on Friday that told me they hate Christmas, I think my staff member that was with me openly gasped in anticipation of my reaction. Here is the deal, I get it…it isn’t for everyone and yes it is overly commercialized…but it is all what you make of it.
I remember a certain Christmas when we were really struggling financially as a family, my mother has always gone above and beyond for the holidays and it was obvious she was stressed and worried that year. The funny thing is, it was the best Christmas I remember. We called it our ‘homemade’ Christmas. My parents made our presents that year, my father built me a dollhouse and my mom handmade all of the furniture and decor. There is a video of me screaming at the sight of it, it’s quite embarrassing – I guess I have always loved the holidays.
I would love to read your Christmas memories, drop them in the comments below and let’s spread some holiday cheer.
