Christmas stresses
Does anyone else get stressed at Christmas? The pressures of writing cards, buying presents, worrying that people will like your presents. Have you bought what they really want? Or will it be put in a cupboard and never used? Will it end up sold on eBay? Should you give a gift card? Will people think you are being lazy if you do? I know that I like to receive a gift card as long as it is for a shop that I shop at. My number one shop is Amazon and the addition of Amazon prime has made it a bit of an addiction, order one day and it often arrives the next.
Daddy has already had his Christmas present, black Friday saw to that and he wanted a Kindle Paperwhite. I felt jealous so I ordered one too. So that’s Christmas sorted for us. The kids had bikes earlier in the year, but you can’t really tell a child that they have already had their present in July time. I had been considering Kindles for kids. I have decided against that because they are both driving me mad with technology right now, plus it gets expensive.
My daughter desperately wanted a BFG toy so she will have ‘Whizzpopping Bfg’ I am hoping that we will not be wanting to hide his batteries too soon due to all his Whizzpopping. I have also bought her a book, I’m a bit nervous to give it to her though as she likes to tear out pages. The two do go together though. She also has some Care bears. One day I will photograph her bears she has a lot. I am hoping that she loves them forever and they are not one day being sold on eBay.
My 7 year old has got some K’nex, books and Lego Technic. The big box of K’nex looks empty with what looks like just a few bits. I am hoping he is not too disappointed. I had thought of buying him more but then I would need to spend more on my daughter so I will leave it for now.
The escalating costs of Christmas and others expectations. There is so much in the news at the moment about people getting into debt due to Christmas. There is so much that I would like to buy but I know my limits and they already had bikes earlier in the year. I don’t think it would really matter how much I bought my children they would still say “it’s not fair” and “I want a such and such”. My little boy wanted a Lego truck, looking online I can see a Lego Technic truck for over £100.00. Lego can be very expensive and I am sure if I had bought it, it would have been me building it.
He does also have a lot of Lego already. One day I would quite like to buy him some Lego Architecture, that is not cheap either. There are plenty of birthdays and Christmas’s in the future if one day he is interested in building the Eiffel Tower.
We usually spend our Christmas day by ourselves playing with the kid’s toys and trying to relax. Is anyone else as unsociable as us? I like pretty much doing nothing all day and just enjoying being with my little family. Previous Christmas’s we have spent the day in pyjamas which in my mind is a great Christmas day.
In Christmas past, I have gone to mass Christmas Eve, I last went maybe 8 years ago before my 7 year old was born. Having small kids means going to mass is not possible unless you take two tired children. Trying to teach children the real meaning of Christmas rather then just the tinsel, presents and Santa. The nativity plays will be soon. The children do have some understanding but the last church service they went to was my nephew’s christening. Taking them to church is not helped by the fact that they will not sit still. They get bored very quickly and easily, they will be quick to get up and run off when they should be sat patiently. Maybe one year we will go to mass but that could be a few years in the future.
Does anyone else feel relieved when we reach the new year, January? The presents are all received, the festivities are all had and the family commitments are all met. I hate the pressures, however, it would be nice if we had more annual leave over Christmas. Special Christmas leave, however people still get ill and we all have work commitments. Just as the NHS stays open so do shops. Businesses have to start again. It is the way of the world and most of us have to work, some working to pay for the Christmas they have just enjoyed.
My children are asking to have the tree put up this weekend. I’m not ready for the stress of the tree yet. We only have a small front room and it is in the way. However, admittedly it is pretty when it is up. It is just the effort of decorating it and then living with it for a few weeks, or days. I bought my tree possibly over 15 years ago, it is an old plastic tree that I really should replace, however it is still functional, it looks like a Christmas tree. The lights though are equally as old and some do not work, yes they need replacing, I’ve had a year to replace them and still haven’t, bah humbug to me!
Anyway, I really should start to write some Christmas cards. They, unfortunately, will not write themselves sat in their box. The school had decorated their tree yesterday, it looked lovely this morning standing proudly in the hall.
So I am now going to go, hope you all have a lovely Christmas and you are not as stressed with the preparations as I am. One day I will relax and enjoy all of it, rather than just the whole magic that is Christmas day. The children’s excitement is lovely and it does makes all the stress and build up to it worth it. I just have to keep telling myself this. Anyway on with writing the Christmas cards now and then collecting the kids later from school, on with the stress of being mum.
see also, happy Christmas poetry, https://justmuddlingthroughlife.co.uk/2018/12/16/christmas-tree-shining-children-smiling/
Share this:
20 Comments
rachaelstray
It can be such a stressful time can’t it? Sounds like you’re on with the presents though which is great! I still have most of my shopping to do including buying a tree!
justmuddlingthroughlife
Yes i think I am almost there.. just resisting buying more. I keep looking at real trees they are lovely but work..my plastic tree can do another year! hope your shopping and tree shopping goes well. Thankyou.
susielindau
I design and make my cards. All 100 of them! Every year. Feel better? LOL!
justmuddlingthroughlife
You Susie are amazing! I did consider putting a message on Facebook and not writing any.. wow such dedication!
Sheryl Chan
Christmas, if not ‘managed’ right, can ironically be stressful and draining for all, when it’s supposed to be a warm happy season of giving and gathering! You sound like you’re handling it like a star though, and i’m sure your kids are going to be so happy 🙂
justmuddlingthroughlife
Yes Christmas can be a difficult time. Thankyou Sheryl, hope you have a good Christmas.
Mags
It can be a very stressful time, especially when you have kids, but the magic more than makes up for the stresses.
justmuddlingthroughlife
i agree Christmas day watching the kids open their presents is lovely!
Unbound Roots
In the past few years my family has decided to spend Christmas Day by ourselves too. It has helped to cut down on the stress of running here and there A LOT! I do miss Christmas as a child – no stress, just excitement of Christmas Spirit. But, I have to say (or write), that I love seeing Christmas through my children’s eyes. Great post, Marian!
justmuddlingthroughlife
Thanks, yes Christmas is different as a grown up, with all the organisation, but yes definitely lovely with children and their excitement.
Martha Kennedy
I don’t think it should be stressful. I don’t know how it got to be that way. This year I’m just not doing it except in intervals when something pops up that I like, like a concert in the “big city” 18 miles away. I make my own cards and that’s my favorite part of the whole thing. The package of presents to the grandkids was sent a couple weeks ago. I wondered if it’s because I’m older and retire but no. I’ve been like this for a long time. People have complained for decades about the commercialism of Christmas and the stress of Christmas. I just quit on the whole thing years ago and let whatever happens happen. Not easy to do that if you have kids, though. ❤ And yes, I'm happy when it's over.
justmuddlingthroughlife
Yes you are right, people’s expectations add to the stress. My 7 year old wants a £110.00 Lego truck, its age 11… I’m not buying it as its massive, complicated- so that’s me struggling to build it.. and that’s a very expensive truck.. he cried last night when I told him I haven’t bought it. It’s a shame it is so commercialised, the whole point is so frequently forgotten.. lovely that you make your own cards.. I stress writing mine…have a lovely Christmas Martha.
Martha Kennedy
Thank you. You too. January is just a couple weeks away. ❤
Unbound Roots
Martha, I appreciate how you think. When our kids are grown, I plan to simplify everything so I can concentrate on the important things. ❤️
Martha Kennedy
It’s pretty hard with kids to back away from the frou-frou. 🙂
justmuddlingthroughlife
Yes it definitely is Martha.
johnrieber
It’s such a happy time year, but so much stress as well!
Pingback:
kaylaannauthor
There can definitely be some stress associated with the holidays. I find the best solution is to block out all the noise (the commitments and pressures) and focus on what Christmas means to you and your loved ones.
justmuddlingthroughlife
Christmas is good when it is just us, but all the expectations of extended family make it hard and then the children not getting everything they want. They have some though… hope you have a lovely Christmas!