Happy Holidays and I enjoyed Christmas with our family and friends very much with no major trauma, drama, or bloodshed, which is always a good thing. As my Dh pointed out, "Your mother didn't harp on you." See, we have Really lowered our Expectations around here for the holidays. Plus, she was just too Damn busy being neurotic about her dog and that my dog was eating her dog's food. (So this is what I have to look forward to when I am eighty years old? Oy vey.)
We changed up some things this year for the holiday that really helped make it much more fun and relaxing than the grind in years past.
We started decorating after Thanksgiving instead of waiting until mid December. Ugh, never again. No sooner do you put the garland and tree up, you are taking them down.
The boys, especially our youngest son, took charge of the outdoor decorating. They did a beautiful and inspiring job and used up every electrical extension cord we own and we regularly trip our circuit breaker, but Oh Such Christmas Spirit!
Instead of a sit down Christmas dinner slaved over by us, we hosted a Christmas pot luck for our friends and neighbors where everyone chipped in. Ah, Delight not to be cleaning the kitchen at midnight.
We also decided to trim our invitations to those folks who reciprocate friendship and hospitality instead of just the take, take, take side of the equation. Some of these families have been to our home for a meal, oh about a dozen times, and we've never seen the inside of their house, well, gee, that certainly sends a message doesn't it? Well, we got the message and acted on it and glad we did.
I love Christmas, but its preparations and expectations wear me out. I realized that I am a New Year's Eve kind of gal, even though I don't believe in New Year's resolutions and my disco ball and big hair celebrations at crowded nightclubs are decades in the past. Now I celebrate with a nice meal and a toast at 12 midnight NYC time with my family to welcome in the New Year which brings a sense of peace and calm that I extend to you and yours.
Please let me know how were your Holidays and how you feel about the New Year?? Thank you for dropping in and I always send my Best for a wonderful 2010.*
*Is the first decade of the 21st century over? Or does this happen next year? Or does it really matter because it's just a Julian calendar we follow versus an Aztec or Jewish?
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12 comments:
Holidaze certainly sums it up. All that work and it is over so so fast! I love that you have slimmed down your invite list to your real friends. We have an annual party each summer and vow that this coming year I will do the same thing. No more takers:)
Christmas was wonderful with my girls, Hubby and family. Now if someone would just come over and clean up this mess!
Oh I so agree with your decisions to scale things back. Yes, it can get overwhelming and exhausting. Good for you for cutting down your invite list. Josh and I already have a plan for next year to make the holiday more enjoyable. People can come to us instead of making us abide by their silly 1 or 2 hours here or there where then they have to run off to the next place. It's annoying. We've always been so accommodating going here and there to make everyone else's life easier and then in the end we realize we don't even care to spend time with some of those people anyways. So next year it's all gonna change!
That sounds great. I sure wish we could join you for New years!
Good thing your mom had the dogs to focus on! We celebrate Christmas day with just our family of 5--I cook a big dinner for us on Christmas Eve and for the 25th we have cinnamon rolls in the a.m. and then I get around to a casual buffet when I am ready: ham, deviled eggs, crudities, mac n'cheese, etc. And stay in my pajamas for hours and hours.
We will be having a New Year's Eve party over here (it's a Blue Moon and it happens on 12/31 once every 19 years!) with about 25 people and fireworks too.
Happy New Year!
great! u and your family had a wonderful time! cheers!
it seems to be that you did just great this year figuring what worked and didn't work from years past and incorporating those that worked and those that didn't and the end result was a good one for you and your family; glad it was a good one for you all!
now on to 2010!
betty
Would LOVE to be a New Years gal with you, big hair or small.
I say there's another year left in the decade. I'm a math stickler like that.
Happy holidays, Martha!
The holidays were great! We just had our rescheduled family holiday party last night instead of traveling all over on Christmas. Everything was great! We're really looking forward to our family-friendly New Year's Eve party we throw every year. It's family friendly because we all bring our kids, let them play and go crazy, put them to bed and we play games until midnight and everyone stays overnight, so no one needs to worry about who needs to remain stone-cold sober to drive home. We're very anti drinking and driving. So it's a load off our mind for everyone to just stay put.
Thats funny about your mom and the dogs!! You gave me a good laugh!!
We put up decorations around Thanksgiving too. And now? They are ALL put away! I am so happy to have them gone and our space back! :) Happy Holidays!!
Sounds like a lovely Christmas! Your efforts to simplify and delegate paid off.
I think we are done with the first decade, because 2000 was year one of the decade (right?), so 2009 was year ten, now we start back over with the first year of the second decade. Or I'm totally wrong.
I have always been a big fan of Christmas but not so much of New Years. Specifically, 2010 scares the crap out of me... but it holds the possibility of a huge blessing for me and my family.
Wishing you all the best in 2010!!
After 5 straight days of non-stop moving, I am very happy to see the end of Christmas. I'm looking forward to a nice, quiet New Year's Eve. Happy New Year!
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