Moms and Christmas

I think every mother says to herself, “This year I’m going to simplify the Holidays, this year I’m going to make peace a priority.”

And then, life happens.

This has been my story for as long as I’ve been a mom. Somehow, and for various reasons, life goes haywire, and I’m drawn into the frenzy of the season once again.

This year I even took steps to bring peace into the picture. I hired a lovely lady to clean my house once a month. This has been my dream for as long as I can remember (I despise housework). She came right before Thanksgiving and left my home looking clean and peaceful. I sat in my chair and almost cried tears of joy. I saw myself writing Christmas cards, embroidering ornaments, and baking cookies while I sat in my peaceful home.

And then, life happened once again. Due to a family emergency, my little house was suddenly filled with seven house guests. SEVEN. There were people sleeping in every corner. Every couch and bed and even the floor, were filled with the tall bodies of my loved ones. Suitcases, boxes and bags were spread throughout the house and the kitchen was cluttered with foods that catered to our various allergies.

And, it was, …

Well, it was wonderful. I love these people.

Due to the aforementioned family emergency, I am now babysitting grandkids every day. I am doing drop-off and pick-up school duties, making meals and providing emotional support and it is exhausting and again, … wonderful.

On top of everything else, I have a sweet husband recovering from a catastrophic accident, a car that smokes, a legal nightmare (accident related), an upcoming surgery for my husband, and some medical testing for me.

I’m not built for chaos. I need quiet and alone time to function, but I’m learning to cherish the chaos along with my peaceful times. And it’s a good thing, because chaos keeps following me.

In an attempt to combat my crazy life, I started ordering gifts online (a wonderful addition to life, I must say). But I have this bad habit of bringing the packages inside and just piling them up without even opening them. Add to that my piles of wrapping paper, cards, baking supplies, and the kids’ overnight bags, and you have what I call my “Christmas piles”. They are a constant reminder that my dreams of a peaceful Holiday season are once more just a pipe dream.

It occurs to me that a peaceful Christmas season was never in the cards for me.

After all, was Mary’s Christmas peaceful when she gave birth to our savior Jesus Christ? Did she get to lay in her home and give birth in familiar surroundings? Did she go through labor with soft music playing while a midwife rubbed her back? No! The poor woman had birth pains on a donkey and gave birth in a stable in a strange town.

Because life got in the way for her too.

I’m going to keep that in mind from now on as life interferes with my plans. If Mary could make do with a donkey and a stable, I can make do with clutter and chaos.

From one mom to another, Merry Chaotic Holiday Season to you!