{"id":2183,"date":"2018-12-07T12:54:18","date_gmt":"2018-12-07T18:54:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neverdonewithfun.com\/staging\/5228\/?p=2183"},"modified":"2018-12-11T09:56:27","modified_gmt":"2018-12-11T15:56:27","slug":"christmas-is-for-the-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neverdonewithfun.com\/staging\/5228\/2018\/12\/07\/christmas-is-for-the-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"Christmas Is For The Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"
My House Isn\u2019t a Macy\u2019s Holiday Window and I\u2019m Learning to Be OK with That<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

In the blink of an eye, Thanksgiving weekend blew into December with a blizzard, that darn Elf on the Shelf, and a whole lot of decorations to hang. I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve sat down since Thanksgiving dinner yet.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not alone. Every mom I know is in full-on holiday crazy mode, bustling around trying to make every last moment of December pure magic.<\/p>\n

I know, because I am that mom. Trying to figure out how many holiday events we can fit into the month of December. Handpicking the picture-perfect but uncomfortable-as-hell dress clothes for our kids to sit on Santa\u2019s lap, hysterically crying or not. Bribing them with lollipops or LEGOs to just.smile.ONE.time.damnit.<\/p>\n

And on the sidelines, #DoneWithFun Daddy giving me the side eye. Again.<\/p>\n

But all these things I\u2019m aspiring to? The elaborate Elf on the Shelf set-ups, the darling gingerbread houses, the 12 kinds of Christmas cookies, the 7 Rubbermaids of Christmas decorations? (Gulp. I counted. And may have an addiction that requires professional help.)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

Those things aren\u2019t for the kids. Those things are for me<\/em>.<\/p>\n

My boys don\u2019t care about a houseful of decorations or perfectly wrapped presents. They don\u2019t need hilariously elaborate Elf on the Shelf capers each day. Christmas is for the kids, and what the kids really want is a mom who\u2019s calm, patient, and present \u2013 to experience the magic along with them instead of hellbent on capturing it for posterity or social media.<\/p>\n

Christmas is for the kids.<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

As a mom, that\u2019s my reason for the season, and so this has become my December mantra. I can\u2019t embrace the peace of the season when I\u2019m feeling pulled in a million directions, strung out like a mis-wired strand of Christmas lights. I can\u2019t be Santa, Mrs. Claus, and all of his little elves for my household all at the same time.<\/p>\n

If you can be, then, mama, go for it. You do you (because you\u2019re doing AMAZING). I promise not to judge you if you won\u2019t judge me.<\/p>\n

But I can\u2019t do it, and I\u2019m done trying. To save my sanity (and also possibly my marriage) this Christmas, I\u2019m channeling my inner Elsa and letting all the rest of it go.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what won\u2019t be happening this holiday season for my family:<\/p>\n

An Instagram-worthy house<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

I love Instagram as much as the next. But for as much inspiration as it generates, it also generates envy. Suddenly, I\u2019m focused on all of the \u201chave nots\u201d instead of recognizing what I already have in front of me.<\/p>\n

If you happen to see a snap of my Christmas d\u00e9cor on the \u2018Gram this season, please recognize that the photo in no way represents real life. It is angled and cropped and edited so you don\u2019t see the toys behind it or the food in front of it or the random articles of clothing in the middle of the floor. It may be glowing and sparkly and beautiful\u2026but it\u2019s not real life.<\/p>\n

Our house is lived-in. It\u2019s messy. We play with our Christmas decorations. What used to be a tastefully arranged shelf of all my<\/em> favorite Christmas things is now a shelf of Easton\u2019s favorite things, arranged according to his<\/em> vision. It includes (but is not limited to, depending on the moment):<\/p>\n