Juggling the Holidays
I love this time of year; the decorations, the mood, the time with loved ones. But I know that I’m definitely not alone when I say that the holidays feel like a juggling act.
You want to make sure to spend quality time with everyone. But between family and friends and very busy schedules there never seem to be enough time.
Some traditions have changed over the years for various reasons, but we have a couple that still hold true. One of them is our annual dinner with friends. It has gone from: all of the couples, to the couples plus their kids, and now back to a night out for just the adults with the kids staying home with a babysitter. I’m sure it will transition again but right now, at this age, it works best for all.
The only catch when it comes to timing these dinners is that in order to ensure we see each other before December 25th, we have to start gathering by the end of November.
Once these festive get togethers have wrapped up for another year we then figure out how to juggle time between our families. This is where it gets a bit tricky, especially because three of us have birthdays right around the holidays.
Between becoming parents to unexpected things coming up as well as our families living in different cities, our routine seems to change each year.
This year we will have three straight weekends of Christmas between the two sides of the family. It’s a bit spread out compared to past years, but the more days spent celebrating the better… In my opinion anyway.
On paper, our holiday planning actually looks like a well oiled machine:
1) Christmas gatherings with friends start in late November.
2) Secret Santa gifts are purchased and wrapped in late November/early December at the latest.
3) Babysitter is arranged.
4) Christmas family photo is taken at start of December and printed out and mailed by mid December.
5) Christmas shopping starts every year by Black Friday (I’m a big fan of online shopping).
6) Tree and decorations are up by the end of November. Christmas lights turn on December 1st.
7) Family gatherings happen during the weeks leading up to Christmas and on Christmas Day.
8) Repeat next year.
As crazy as it is, I wouldn’t have it any other way. ‘Tis the season to be jolly, merry and very, very busy.
