As we are approaching the holiday season, I see Christmas EVERYWHERE. Every single store I am in, I see nothing but Christmas. It almost seems like the Thanksgiving season has just totally been forgotten. Either way, when you spy decorations, gifts, wrapping paper, baking items that are all things holiday, what you tend to find right around the corner, is all things stress.
I remember the day when the holidays were so easy. Let’s start at kids. All we had to do was try to get some sleep on Christmas Eve and run downstairs Christmas morning to see what Santa had brought us. Then we would have a nice holiday breakfast, open presents from family, and hang out all day until dinner that night. What I didn’t know as a child was how much it really takes to properly partake in the holidays. What all my parents, especially my mom had to do for the holiday season: the money spent, the time spent, the planning done, etc., is quite a feat.
Fast forward a few years where I still didn’t have a care in the world about the holiday season and was still living like a child, even though I was 20 something years old at the time. Next, we have my first couple of years sober, where I had gotten my conscience back and actually wanted to start truly participating, buying presents, sending cards, making baked goods, trying to spread some holiday cheer.
Today, however, is truly a whole other ball game. 5 plus years sober, married and 4 + families under my belt, my stress level is through the roof. Among my every day, ever so busy life, I also get to prepare for this holiday season. Starting with Thanksgiving, its almost like we have to clone ourselves to get to everywhere we need to go that day. I guess we need to figure out how to do that and fast. Then I think about the presents to buy, the food to make, the cards to send, the calls to make, the presents to wrap, and let’s not even mention thinking about Christmas plans. We are talking about time and money that we don’t have. I guess I finally know what it feels like to be an adult, and it only took me about 30 years to get here.
Why are we so stressed? What are Thanksgiving and Christmas really about? I guess we are stressed because of how much pressure the holidays put on us. There is a certain protocol and stigma centered around this time of year, everything that we are expected to do. But what if we took the holiday season and turned it back into what it was meant to be, a time of blessing, thankfulness, happiness, and joy. I thought about this especially recently, when I went to lunch with my mom a couple of weeks ago. I was flooded by a sense of peace and happiness, just to have the opportunity to be having lunch with my mom. There used to be a time in my life, where I couldn’t do that, or be any kind of usefulness to anyone, for that matter. I thought about how much I love my mom and my family and how blessed I am to not only have one family, but 4 +, on top of my very own, favorite family consisting of two crazy dogs and one amazing husband.
How could I be so ungrateful and let that stress get the better of me? That’s when as a sober individual, we get to live in each moment and enjoy every minute we have with our families. Today I have the choice to cherish these precious moments, take in the love, put a smile on my face, and remember just how good God really is. So, this holiday season, I will take with gratitude, grace, and nothing but love. Or at least, that is the goal. I also didn’t say I was perfect, but thank God it’s all about progress, but perfection. Thank God for that, and thank God for this beautiful life.
