Abandon the plan to find the true meaning of Christmas

I swore off of getting hyped up by the crazy of the holidays this year, but old habits die hard.

This year, we’re hosting Christmas at our house and it’s extra special because it’s Preston’s first Christmas and we’ll not only be with Brian’s family like usual but my mom and sister are in town too (the first Christmas I’ve spent with them in at least 15 years!). We’ll have 18 bodies at our house on Christmas and with all of our family living out of town, this is unusual and a bit daunting. I don’t like the word perfectionist, but I am one of those people. You know the ones who can never relax and enjoy the ride because something always needs to be done and things are never really done because there’s always room for improvement…yeah, one of those annoying people.

Forget weddings, this is Christmas

Back when I coordinated weddings, having an eye for detail and the stamina to work for 15 hours straight really paid off. I effortlessly managed teams of vendors and worked my tail off while my brides enjoyed the most wonderful night of their lives. While the happy couples went home with smiles and memories, all I had were sore feet, bags under my eyes and occasionally a nice tip.

Yesterday I had a realization: I can plan for a great Christmas celebration without acting like a party planner.

Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. ~ Calvin Coolidge

Getting in the right state of mind

I am tossing out the hour-by-hour schedule of preparatory tasks; I am letting my house look “lived in,” I am not stressing to the point of snapping about everything getting done and I am not going to let the joy be sucked out of Christmas.

With my to-do list a mile long and a plan for spending the day in the kitchen working yesterday, I made my decision to quit being the planner and just enjoy the day with my family. And it was wonderful.

I actually did accomplish most of the tasks on my list, but I did it in a relaxed, leisurely way with lots of help from everyone without having to bark orders or rush around like a crazy person. I actually sat on the couch a few times to do nothing. Nothing is hard for me, but oh so nice.

So on this Christmas Eve, I am challenging myself and anyone else who is up to the task to quit acting like a party planner and instead plan to embrace what’s really important during this holiday season- spending time with the ones we love.

Do you have a party planner attitude when it comes to holidays? I’d love to hear how you make sure to enjoy the moment and focus on what’s important to you. Share with me on our Facebook page.