When
I was a kid, my parents were all about The Ritual. They excelled at The
Event. Even the smallest, most mundane thing was turned into a Special
Treat, Something Worthy Of Note, or as my father liked to say, somewhat
sarcastically as he skewered the slang of the time, "A Happening."
Merely talking about a future trip, a celebration,pink paper straws a gathering--that was more than half the fun. And we all got good at it.louis vuitton monogram vernis handbags I
can remember my dad and my mom sitting at the kitchen table, talking
about going someplace. They'd describe to each other and, if we were
listening, to us kids the route, what we'd see, places we might stop and
what we'd do there, how the ice cream might taste, the breeze might be
cool, and the way the little puffs of clouds would hang above the
horizon over a certain mountain.yibiao-lingerie In
the weeks before Christmas, my sister Susan and I would lie awake in
the double bed, and she'd say, "Tell me about Christmas Eve." And I'd
begin to weave our-ages old, shared story about how we would get
everything ready. "Mom will make us get up early, and we'll have to wash
woodwork, dust, clean the bathroom, and run the vacuum. Patti will be
allowed to hang all the Christmas cards. We'll get out all the candles
and make sure they're lit right before everyone comes. Aunt Martha is
always first, and she comes in singing Jingle Bells. Aunt June will be
in soon, and she'll have her flash camera ready, and yell at Uncle Jul
all night. We'll get out the relish plates and the potato salad and...Tissue Paper Pom Poms."
The routine was so familiar and so wonderful. Susan could have--and
often did, in places--told the story to herself, but she loved to hear
it. I don't know if Mom and Dad built this into us on purpose, but it
was a great idea. All of us learned from it. We learned to appreciate an
entire experience. That the journey is as important as the destination.
I
think it's something to think about when it comes to Christmas, too,
and it can help ease some of the holiday pressure we feel as adults. So
many times during Christmastime, I felt like I was rushing, rushing,
rushing headlong towards a goal, a sort of finish line of December 25th.colorful cotton bakers twine It
was hard to appreciate or enjoy anything I was doing to get there. All
of the Stuff I Was Doing up to then seemed more like obstacles rather
than part of Christmas. Shopping, wrapping, preparing food, baking,
spiffing up the house, decorating--all of that was in my way of reaching
my goal of Christmas. That was my mindset. When I was able to realize
that, in those simple terms, I was--to be honest--stunned. And a little
embarrassed. Why hadn't I ever understood that before? And when had all
that happened? And, more importantly, how can I fix it? It's important
to go back to The Ritual. Recognize that Christmas is not a goal; it's a
whole season, a many-faceted celebration. It is made up of a myriad of
interwoven experiences and memories and traditions and sensory mementos.
Pressure Busting Tip #18 is a reminder that Christmas is a journey, not
a destination. It's not just you working and running your head off and
then rip, crash, bam, it's over in a half-hour of giftwrapped pillaging.
It's the kids making Christmas Calendars the day after Thanksgiving and
crossing off the days before they go to bed. It's taking the family out
for breakfast and then to a store to pick out a special ornament for
each. It's going and getting a tree together. It's decorating the tree
and then having a special Christmas-themed dessert with a little red
candle stuck in it. Afterwards, you can play "I Spy" and lie under the
tree, looking up at the lights. It's hot chocolate with little candy
canes hanging on the side of the mug. Or going to find a Giving Tree,
then picking out a gift or two for a child or family less fortunate.
Tell the stories of your Christmas. And build some Christmas Stories of
your very own.
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