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| (From: Picture of a Perfect Christmas) |
I get a kick out of looking at magazine headlines this time of year. Half of them are: How To Have the Perfect Holiday in which Everyone is Joyous and Your House Looks Like a Magazine Photo Shoot. The other half are: How to Avoid Holiday Stress.
I don't know about you, but there are times when I've knocked myself out trying to do both at the same time. Now I'm convinced it just isn't possible.
It took me some time to figure out that NOTHING on my list of holiday have-tos is compulsory--not even being happy or having a good time. It would be fun to have a house that looks like it's been decorated by Martha Stewart (who probably doesn't even do her own house by herself) but when I looked a little more closely at that desire, I realize it comes from a place of wanting to appear more capable than I actually am.
I can't think of a more useless waste of time. Why would anyone want to do that? If people think I'm perfect I'd be under constant pressure to remain so, and anyway, let's face it, most of us sort of resent someone who seems perfect. We secretly think they need to get a life.
I love having the the house decorated and the tree up, but I've stopped pretending I'm doing it for anyone but me. I've let go of the timetables and the lists, and as a result I enjoy the process much more. No one has ever come in to my home and asked, "Where are the festive garlands crafted out of used coffee filters?" (a true project from a magazine).
It's great to give the perfect gift that the recipient will treasure and remember always, but not when trying to do so results in a month-long frantic search right up to Christmas Eve, ending with the purchase of a gift card. I decided to skip the shopping part and go right to the gift card or cash. So far, no one has complained. Eventually, most of us have decided that, since our gifts "cancel each other out", we'll just skip the whole thing and give each other a toast or a hug.
Sometimes, the holiday stuff is magical and wondrous, and sometimes it's just something you think you have to do. I've found that when I let go of my expectations and my need to make it so, the magic and wonder can sneak up on me at the most unpredictable moments without the least bit of effort.
And, if I want a Norman Rockwell Christmas, I can always look at a Norman Rockwell print, because I'm pretty sure that's the only place it exists.
(From: Around the World in 110 Days)
To find solutions for your organizing challenges,
schedule a free consultation,
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Call Linda Palmer
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Home Organizing and De-materializing Service
In the Milwaukee, WI and surrounding areas
In the Milwaukee, WI and surrounding areas
262-784-3957
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