My love/love-a-lot-less relationship with Christmas!

My love/love-a-lot-less relationship with Christmas!
You know how the traditional thing is to wait until December 1 to put up your Christmas Tree and decorations? Yep, well I was waiting for that magical date to roll around, but not anymore. I am caving and putting up the tree and decorations this week.
I was spurred on by taking my two boys, Master H, 3, and Master T, 15 months, to see Santa arrive at Hinkler Central Shopping Centre on Sunday. It was the Christmas carols that pushed me over the edge. But while I can’t wait to get the decorations out and the tree up, there is also that bit of anxiety that comes from Christmas time with kids. I think this year, more than ever before, I have a love/hate relationship with Christmas. Ok, there could never be hate, but maybe love/love-a-lot-less relationship. For example…
- I love getting out all the decorations and decorating the house.
- I love less the fact that it just looks like more mess and clutter in an already cluttered and at times messy house.
- I love having a tree decorated and lights that twinkle at night.
- I love less that the ornaments and baubles that so painstakingly get put on there only last about, oh, a minute if your lucky before the first little hand tries to reach them.
- I love getting into the spirit with my favourite Christmas albums.
- I love less that this now includes The Wiggles (ok, I don’t mind The Wiggles that much)
- I love having a full calendar of events and parties. I love having a good excuse to be social.
- I love less that I still have to be up and functioning by 6am and for the rest of the entire day after said events, parties and functions.
- I love that Master H is old enough now to be excited by Christmas.
- I love less that when we go out anywhere we have to stop every five steps to look at the decorations/lights/Santas/reindeers
Having said all this, there is so much more to love about Christmas since my children came along. I am more excited, especially now Master H is old enough to be excited by it – it is so much better when you have someone to share excitement with. I love that I get to relive all my wonderful Christmas memories through my own children.
I am loving that we are starting our own traditions as our own family unit and that we can now have some really special family time that will be wonderful memories in years to come. And the presents – there is something so wonderful about buying gifts for your kids and then seeing the looks on their faces when they get them.
Most wonderful time of the year? I think so.