Saving My Sanity at Christmas

sanity-at-christmas

My kids look forward to Christmas all year long! They start asking in January how many days until Christmas. Actually, my husband and I can’t wait for Christmas either! I can’t get enough Christmas music, light-looking, Santa-visiting and memory making. As our schedules fill up with fun activities, sometimes the true meaning of the Christmas season can get a little lost. Christmas can be a magical time, however, it can be a very stressful time. I’ve found a few strategies that have helped me maintain my sanity while simplifying our activities and help me keep the focus on the right things during such a busy time of year.

I like to get the most out of my decorations at Christmas time.

I decorate the house the weekend after Thanksgiving so that I can enjoy all of my hard work for a whole month! Years ago, I decorated a mantle greenery with a variety of bulbs, crystals and metal icicles and after the season is over, I remove it and fold it up still decorated and place in a garbage bag to stay intact until next year. I’ve changed out the colors of the bulbs or other details, but I have been able to quickly decorate my mantle and move on to the tree!

Gifts are well thought out, but at a minimum at our house.

My boys get 4 gifts, something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read. Santa seems to have a lot of fun filling the stockings with a few small (read inexpensive) items such as scotch tape (so they will stay out of mine,) a chocolate treat, new socks and a few trinkets. We have really cut back on gifts for extended family. I make a custom calendar filled with my children’s pictures. At first, I wasn’t sure if family would enjoy it, but everyone has ooh’ed and ahh’ed about the calendars (some are desk sized for those with offices) so much that I will continue this simple but meaningful gift for the family!

I skip the Christmas cards!

I know it sounds crazy. A few years ago, I was very overwhelmed with a one and two year old when the holidays rolled around. I made the difficult decision to skip the family Christmas card. Guess what? The world didn’t end. I LOVE receiving Christmas cards. It makes me feel so special when our family receives a sweet picture or note from a friend or family member. I just have had to make the difficult decision that at this point in our family’s life we don’t send cards. Instead, we post a Merry Christmas message along with a cute snapshot of my boys on social media, and call it good. Some day, I will start sending Christmas cards again. Or maybe not.

Take some time off.

I always take a day or two off work before the kids daycare and school close down to get the Christmas goodies grocery shopping done. I also pick up all the odds and ends I need for the holidays including scotch tape and wrapping supplies. It has really helped me mark off things on my to do list. I look forward to some uninterrupted time to knock out the not-so-fun details that are important at Christmas time.

Some of my fondest family memories take place during the holidays. I’m trying to pass on the joy of the season onto my kids by helping to keep things simple! I have found that through simplifying some of the details that don’t really matter, I can be fully present with my family and enjoy the true reason of the season.

Amy Foster
Amy is a lifelong Wichita-area resident, with the exception of her college and grad school years. Amy has worked as a pediatric physical therapist for a local non-profit organization during her 22 year career. She married Brett, a youth pastor turned special education teacher and coach, and can be seen supporting Andover Middle School with her two boys, aged 13 & 11, only 18 months apart! They keep her occupied in athletic activities . When she isn't busy momming, she likes to walk her dog in her neighborhood, and do embroidery by hand.