A Seasonal Wish

“If it weren’t for the eleventh hour, I would get nothing done.”

This was my mantra for everything around the holidays. From the start of November, I would stress about every detail related to “holiday cheer:” Thanksgiving menus, cards, decorating, gift giving, social commitments, hosting soirees, and on it went. As a busy mom I burned the overachieving candle at both ends until getting “merry” unsurprisingly morphed into “maniacal,” and my fun meter — and family’s tolerance — hit zero.

Going back to my Christian roots, I was reminded of the Christ child’s birth. The setting was straightforward: a manger in a barn, immediate family, a few onlookers, and a lack of glitzy apparel. Except for the angel and trio of wisemen who were duded up (I envision angels always in some sort of ethereal finery), everyone else sported practical dress for the era. It was an evening of quiet — even the animals contently lounged around their humans that night. So, why on Earth have we rushed around for years with our manufactured first-world worries?

Exhaustion is a powerful catalyst, and in my quest for simplicity (and realizing nobody would perish in the process), my family began to quietly offload expectations and excess doings. Calm settled upon us like a light snowfall — peaceful to experience and blanketing each day with a bit of shimmer. My once-lost holiday spirit rejiggled my consciousness, requesting another chance to put a smidgen of fun back into the mix.

LESS really is MORE. Joshua Becker (becomingminimalist.com), Courtney Carver (bemorewithless.com), and Karen Trefzger (maximumgratitudeminimalstuff.com) are a few folks who champion a simple lifestyle full of gratitude. Perhaps their thoughts will nudge you like they did me to adopt subtle changes in your own seasonal perspective to add far more than the eleventh hour to your day.

Regardless of your faith, make your specific holiday season this year the one to allow yourself and your family the gift of less. Less frenzy. Less, and more intentional, spending. And deeper connections with those you hold most dear.

Here’s to the Holidays!