I started to feel it a few weeks ago.
You probably did too.
The fancy Christmas pressure.
Make it magical.
Keep it simple.
Be present.
Get it all done.
Don't overspend.
Be generous.
PRESSURE.
Heavy. Exhausting. Confusing.
How do we make it magical AND keep it simple?
How can we be present AND get all the things done (in the kitchen, shopping cart, and our everyday)?
With bells ringing outside of grocery stores along with mom desires to make our kids' Christmas dreams come true, what exactly does it mean to balance our budget AND be a cheerful giver?
PRESSURE.
The hard feelings simmer just under the surface.
Guilt over not doing it "right" again this year.
Anxiety about just about everything.
Sadness for no apparent reason.
No wonder there are moments in the middle of it all that we just want to drive to the Target parking lot around midnight by ourselves.
and...
Stare.
Catch our breath.
Yell a little.
We are...under PRESSURE.
(David Bowie was right.)
I wish I could pull some age-old wisdom out of a hat and all your nerves (and mine) would calm down this instant and we would sail through the next two-plus weeks unscathed, but I imagine it's much more complicated than that.
And I feel like anything I say would just add more pressure to this cooker that might feel like it's going to blow at any minute.
So, today, I'm just here to help you ask some questions to your deep-down mom soul, that precious and most sacred part of you. (Hint: all the answers are right and I'm asking them of myself every night until I forget about them, but hopefully at least until the Christmas mayhem is over!)
What gifts (no matter what kind) did I receive today?
Who showed me love and support?
Where do I need to ask for help?
How did I show courage today?
What emotions am I feeling? About what?
With what spirit do I want to enter tomorrow?
The reasons for these questions at a crazy time like this?
You matter.
You do not have to lose yourself in the crazy.
You have permission to connect with yourself in December.
Oh. One last thing.
You matter.
Did you hear me?
You matter.
Period. End of pressure story.