The Christmas Crazies

 

Oh the hoops we jump through trying to usher in a joyful holiday season. Why is it we think adding holiday shopping in crowds with fussy children, staying up half the night wrapping, baking and cleaning, to our already busy lives will bring us a sense of holiday merriment and joy? Our intentions are usually in the right place, but why is it year after year we forget the promises we make to ourselves about slowing down? By my own admission I am so guilty. I’ve gotten a whole lot better but am still bitten occasionally by the Christmas crazy bug.

One of my personal best and worst Christmas crazies happened one year when I decided to make homemade chocolates after successfully conquering a simple divinity recipe. Instead of simply purchasing the fondant (the soft creamy center of a chocolate) conveniently made and packaged, I decided I would make my own. I purchased the entire list of ingredients including the candy thermometer. Now armed with all the right equipment (and zero expertise) I jumped into my candy making venture one Saturday morning confident that by the end of the day I would have a table covered with beautiful, or at least tasty homemade chocolates. Everything seemed to be going well until as directed I poured the boiling hot sugary mixture onto an iced surface, (that surface being my kitchen table) and then watch hopelessly as the fondant turned into one thin solid surface in seconds. I spent the rest of my day chipping the stuff off my table. Now, years later I laugh when I share that Christmas crazy with others- I wasn’t laughing that day.

Two seasons ago I decided I would wrap my three year old Red Bud tree with lights. I stood in the cold wrapping and wrapping and wrapping for a total of ten strings of lights. It lit up the night and seemed such a peaceful little twig standing in the dark for all to see. Despite carefully unwrapping the tree again in the cold, the snow and the ice, come spring I found my beautiful little red bud without any buds, or leaves. Oh how sad I was to have killed this poor little innocent tree with my foolish Christmas crazy idea.

Interestingly enough it seems no one is immune, we all do it. Everyone has their own version of the Christmas crazy story, all different, sometimes funny, sometimes bordering on the disastrous but everyone does it. Kids and pets and Grandparents and everyone in between seem to be effected. I wouldn’t even begin to assume that we’re all so busy that being just a little distracted has anything to do with it, would you?

It doesn’t appear there is any remedy for the Christmas crazies so this year if you happen to find yourself in the midst of making your all time personal best Christmas crazy mess, do your best to find the humor in it. I’ll try and laugh if you will. After all, if the house is still standing and everyone is healthy you really are blessed.

This year so far I’ve missed or at least resisted some of my less than best ideas that lead to the Christmas crazies. But, it’s early I may get bitten yet by more than just the joy of the season.

Till next time, Rebecca