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The Christmas Get Together with Family

As Beth pointed out Christmas gatherings with family can be stressful especially given many of the complicated family situations these days. As Mick said today when we were talking about family Christmases and the way some people go overboard, it’s time for us to take a step back and reevaluate what Christmas is all about. Like Beth, I see lots of people who are stressed and wishing Christmas was over. I had someone say it to me yesterday. Well, I’m one of those people who love Christmas. I love buying gifts for loved ones but then we have never gone … Continue reading →

Christmas: What Happened to It?

As I have been tying up the final loose ends for Christmas Day, I am continuously running into frazzled women. Glassy eyed, tousled hair, they seem strained, forgetful, distracted and angry. And these are not my clients; they are women trying to prepare for Christmas Day! Something has gone terribly wrong with Christmas and the festive season. High expectations, over-commercialization of Christmas – whatever it is — it is distressing grown, mature women and turning them into stressed, irritable zombies who are all repeating a surprisingly common mantra — “I just wish Christmas would be over!” Most of these women … Continue reading →

Christmas with Family

In some families what happens at Christmas is that the family takes turns about whose place it will be held at for the rest of the family to gather. This sounds fine in theory, but it can be a problem if someone is set in their ways and refuses to accept something different. For example, if Mom always cooks certain meals for the Christmas season, there’s no reason it always has to be that way and that everyone else in the family needs to follow suit when it’s their turn and do it the same when it is held at … Continue reading →

Christmas: Not Always So Cheery (2)

In our last article on this topic we looked at the high expectations that so many of us have about Christmas and the festive season and why it is not only so stressful for so many of us, but why it is often a time of unhappiness rather than joy. So how can we reduce the stress that many of us feel at Christmas and defuse some of the more unpleasant family disputes that often occur at the very time we should be happy? The answer is partially contained in the last phrase of the previous paragraph. The expectations that … Continue reading →

Christmas: Not Always So Cheery (1)

Christmas can be such a happy time for family and friends to catch up and enjoy a happy day which goes on to ultimately form happy memories in their lives as the years pass. Sadly, Christmas and the festive season in general can be the most difficult and painful time of the year for people to cope with and it is this aspect of the holiday period that I wish to discuss today. There are so many myths about Christmas in terms of how families should behave and the fun that we all should be having, that many people who … Continue reading →

I’m Married to a Scrooge!

Christmas isn’t my favorite holiday, but it ranks up there near the top of the list. Some years I catch the spirit months in advance. Other years, like this one, I’m late getting into the swing of things. (Late by my standards. Normally I catch it by Thanksgiving if not beforehand.) But this year we were on the road and then I’ve been battling some cold/flu bug for the last several weeks. Haven’t had much time or energy to get decorations up, cookie platters planned (I give them to neighbors and friends), or our family Christmas letter written. (Yikes! Cards … Continue reading →

The Snowman Conspiracy (2)

What happens when a blogger starts noticing the snowmen. Is she right or just crazy? This is part two of The Snowman Conspiracy. Those are so easy to collect aren’t they? My collection first started with a Christmas gift from our in-laws. It is the cutest door sign that is personalized with our name. It features three snow people, two adults and a child, a representation of our family at the time. We still cherish it and display it, even though our family has grown from three members to five. After that, we just had to have some stuffed snow … Continue reading →