The Pressure Moms Feel During The Holiday Season
The pressure moms feel during the holiday season is endless. The craving for everything to be planned and perfected runs high for many.
Being a mom is an unexplainable, magical life event, and during the holidays moms create magic.
We are able to take on all of the stress and create magical memories for our families.
What is stressful about the holidays?
If you quickly thought to yourself, “everything.” You’re not alone.
You may be worried about:
lack of time
money/expenses
choosing the perfect gifts
planning the perfect event
decorating
if you’re doing too little
if you’re doing too much
whether something was forgotten
having a clean home
creating memories
… I mean really, the list just goes on. Plus, all of our normal responsibilites.
Besides being a woman, because worrying is kind of our thing…
Why do we stress so much about the holidays?
Creating Magic For Our Children
We stress so much because we want our children’s holiday experiences to be magical.
Create traditions.
An easy way to create magic during the holidays is to have traditions. Here are some Christmas tradition ideas that work for any family.
Enjoy your family.
In the midst of planning and perfecting, make sure to stop and enjoy the magic with your family.
Part of the magic is making memories as a family.
How Can We Relieve Some Of The Holiday Pressure?
Truth is, no matter what you tell yourself, you’re going to worry about some or all of these things during the holidays.
You’re always going to feel the pressure to make it perfect.
That’s okay.
Just remember…
Plan ahead.
The earlier the better in my opinion.
In our family, birthdays are over in August. So, that’s when I start planning gifts.
Set a weekly or bi-weekly goal for holiday planning to help get you where you need to be.
I make every effort to have gifts, menus, events, planned as much as possible by the end of November.
It’s okay to say “no.”
Whether it’s to family members, friends, or your kids it’s okay to say “no.”
When you’re feeling stretched thin and someone asks you to do “just one more thing,” “plan a dinner,” or whatever consider yourself and know that it’s okay to tell them “no.”
Stop comparing yourself to other moms.
Some moms are truly wizardly or “Pinterest moms.” They have this magic ability to do everything above and beyond and do it all at once. It’s mesmerizing.
Whether they have more time, money, resources, creativity… pssshh who knows??
Stop looking at them for what you need to be for your family. Your time and effort are enough.
They will remember the magic.
When our kids are our age, they aren’t going to remember every present they received or what side dishes were made with Christmas dinner (unless there’s a side dish tradition in your fam!).
They will remember the magic they felt, which means they will remember the time and effort you put into their holiday experiences.
The Pressure Moms Feel During The Holiday Season
The pressure moms feel during the holiday season is real.
There may be a moment we feel under appreciated or not acknowledged, but that moment is usually fleeting during this particular time.
We don’t create magical holidays for our children, because we expect a thank you.
We don’t even expect them to know everything we do. How can they? That’s part of the magic!
We create magic during the holidays, because we want them to feel the magic of the holiday season.
And that, is one of the greatest gifts we can give them!
What are some of your favorite holiday traditions or memories? Let us know in the comments.
