Caught up in the December Hurries

I'll try not to be negative in general when I journal in here. It's hard to read (and re-read) posts from the harried mom, I know. But sometimes, that's just all that's on one's mind!

I'll refrain from saying that "I hate December," since I do get caught up in the spirit of things. It's an OK time. The kids get SOOO excited when it's time to trim the tree and decorate the house. Ethan practically did it himself the other day- Ric just brought down the boxes from the attic and he went to town. I came home that evening and almost everything was up! Of course I had a royal mess to deal with (which remained for about 3 days, by the way). Anyway, that part is fun and enjoyable. And I like to think about buying presents for my family, when I have good ideas. But OH MY GOSH! is December exhausting! And I'm not even there yet - it's only November 30!

It's not just the immediate family, it's the extended family, the company, the giving trees, the donations to others, the gift-giving to friends, getting presents out to the post office on time. Having to shove all these extra tasks into an already full life is just daunting. I can empathize with John Grisham's character in "Skipping Christmas."

Mostly I'd like to ski on the weekends, put a red bow on the door and call it Christmas. The other stuff I could totally live without. I'm suffocating in it. I'm reading this book right now, "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. Great book. Mostly I'm jealous that she spent 4 months in India meditating. Literally. Up at 4 am, meditate, do work around the Ashram, meditate some more, and then go to bed. How rested she must feel! I guess it's just times like these, when I feel most busy that I most wish I could escape the normal life and get away and relax for a week. Not even vacation, really, but go somewhere where there's nothing to do.

But then, of course, I'd miss the kids terribly and long for home.