kudos to me

I've been swamped this week. On top of my regular house work, I'm up to my neck in Christmas cards, neighbor gifts, kid gifts (any suggestions on what to give an 11 year old girl would be greatly appreciated. I'm completely stumped.), husband gifts, finishing touches on house decor, etc. I'm trying not to feel overwhelmed and forget that this is supposed to be a season of joy!

I do have to chuckle at least once a day though. Our Christmas tree has been up for about a week and a half. Every time I walk by it I laugh. I let the kids do all the decorating, and it shows. Usually I let them decorate and then when they go to bed, I fix everything. I take the 4 red ornaments hanging precariously on the same bottom branch and distribute them evenly. I adjust all the ornaments just a little so the tree will look more balanced. I space everything according to color and size. But not this year. I decided to let it be. No one really cares but me if everything is perfect, so why bother?

I've found it's easier than I thought, to relinquish the control and besides I can chuckle everyday at the tree's obvious disabilities. They're cute and remind me of my sweet kids. And that's the joy of the season I've been looking for.