Opting out of the Holiday Chaos

I love Christmas. I love everything about it. I love the music, the snow, the lights, the food, and even shopping for the perfect gift.

Around this time of year, I usually go all out. I pack our freezer with as many confections as it can hold, I start shopping in October, I fill our calendar with activities, and I try to create a magical experience for our kids.

This Christmas, though, I have decided to prioritize. I’m still going to bake and shop and decorate, but my number one thing in terms of holiday prep, is creating a comfortable and clutter free home for our family.

Cleaning is not my forte, and my organizational skills most definitely need work. But as my gift to my mess-hating husband, I am going to try to get our home in order. I want to clear out the toy box and consign whatever my kids no longer love. I’m going to go through our closets and do the same with our clothes. I’m going to de-clutter the linen closet so that it actually has space to hold, um, linens. Our fridge will be cleaned, our 30 year old couch will be replaced with a ten year old living room set graciously being given to us by my parents, and Christmas Eve dinner will actually be eaten off the kitchen table because I have made it my goal to remove the piles of papers and junk bins sitting on it.

This will probably mean that we won’t have 7 kinds of cookies, and that our tree might be the only decor in our apartment, but I am okay with that. Less is more.

I love going out and doing things during the holidays. Last year we extended Christmas to twelve days and did all kinds of fun stuff. But this year, we are going to take it easy, because what my husband and I want most for Christmas is a break. The kids may go to see Santa–or they may not. We may attend a holiday concert, or we may not. We will probably decline more invitations than we accept.

When Christmas rolls around, we will hang out in our newly organized apartment, gazing at our Christmas tree, drinking cider and eating a few well-chosen recipes, just enjoying each other.

I don’t want to be busy. I opt out of the holiday chaos. And I’m hoping this year we won’t end up needing a vacation from our vacation.