Congratulations. You are now past the worst of the holiday season. Take a break with your family. Enjoy yourselves. Sleep in if you can. Play games and enjoy the beauties of the season as they appear in your area.

And yes, I’m taking my own advice. I wrote this post on 12/21 and scheduled it for today!

Twas a few days before Christmas, and all through the house
The children were running, their usual carouse.
The furniture and floors had been cleaned up with care;
In hopes that somehow no messes they’d bear.

Ornaments were nestled into the tree and spread
In hopes that the children carefully would tread.
The weather to us was a little cold snap
Meaning rain on the window barely did tap.

Then in the living room there arose so much chatter
I left my computer to see what was the matter.
Much as the children might want me to dash
I knew it was just another childhood clash.

The lights on the tree quickly did show
The contested toy that someone did throw.
The mess no surprise that it should appear;
Though my hope for otherwise had been so sincere.

Holiday tempers can flare so very quick
The tension between them soon grew quite thick.
More rapid than usual, the quarrels they came;
With tugging and shouting and calling a name.

“That’s my toy!” “She hit me!” “Well I had it first!”
“No, I did!” “I’m telling!” They stopped with my outburst:
“Out to the back yard, and go have a ball;
Now go and play, go and play, go and play all!”

One look at the rain and outside they did fly;
Thinking of puddles and making mud pie.
So out of the door the children they flew
Barely heeding my insistence on the wearing of shoes.

It would take but a moment, I knew without proof;
That such a decision some would call a goof.
As I opened the window to listen for sound;
They raced all around the cold, muddy ground.

In mud they’d soon be covered from their heads to their foot;
The only question was how long they’d stay put.
The play in the mud was right on its track;
But all too soon they came in, wanting a snack.

Their wishes for food were oh so contrary;
Frozen treats or hot chocolate, and all they could carry.
Their sweet little eyes from play were aglow,
But they insisted their tummies more food they did owe.

Quickly I noted the chattering teeth,
As well as the mud on their shoes just beneath.
A quick decision, the mud or the belly?
Hoping the mud wasn’t sticky as jelly.

So I said, “Come in and clean up yourself”
While I looked for quick snacks up on the shelf.
Muddy feet on clean floors quickly did tread;
But now it was time to get the kids fed.

Not long in their bedrooms the children did lurk;
Eager to see the result of Mom’s work.
Pleased they did seem with the food that I chose;
With snack time they wanted to watch favorite shows.

Playtime wasn’t long enough; they quickly did bristle;
It’s amazing what foods can be used like a missile.
But I heard them exclaim, right before the next fight,
“Mommy, I’m sure ready for Christmas tonight!”

Somehow I don’t anticipate spending much time online this week. It’s Christmastime and time to relax with the family.

Are you taking a break too?

I got a lot done yesterday, but there’s still more to be done. No doubt most important to my kids on that list is making Christmas cookies. They like to make chocolate chip cookies with frosting on them for Santa. They don’t much care for sugar cookies, which is why we end up frosting chocolate chip ones. Who am I to complain?

Yesterday was just plain hectic trying to get things done. I made a bargain with the kids right at the start: 15 minutes of decorating the tree (at last!) for 15 minutes of house cleaning. That worked really well with my daughter, not so well with my son. But what can you really expect from a 3 year old who isn’t in his most helpful mood?

But the tree got done. House still needs help but it’s getting there. They’ve been warned that we don’t want Santa to trip.

Then shoe shopping and other shopping with my daughter when my husband got home from work. It just hit me the other day that we still didn’t have appropriate shoes to go with her pretty holiday dress. She wore it for Thanksgiving anyhow, but pretty shoes would be a nice touch. This late in the game, the selection was pretty poor, though!

Plus just a touch of other shopping to do. I’m not a fan of Christmas shopping crowds, but I did what I had to!

Overall, this is a great time to take time for your family, and remember the important things. If you can do it, I highly recommend it. But even if you can’t take time off, find some way to make some special times for your family. It doesn’t have to cost money, just be together.

My daughter is so sweet. Like a lot of families, we’re cutting back this Christmas, and we have been very upfront with the kids about this. They may not really understand what all the money talk is, but they need to understand that some things need to be simplified.

But kids do so hate to hear that around Christmas time.

My daughter’s response to my husband telling her that this would be a simpler Christmas due to lack of money was “Don’t worry. Santa will take care of the rest.”

Too bad that doesn’t work.

I did tell my husband that there are some things “Santa” can do. There are some clothes the kids will need anyhow, and he can take credit for those. I want credit for the fun gifts to go where it belongs!

The simplification of Christmas in my family has gone pretty broad in its effects. It was agreed this year that even between families hand me down or thrift store finds were fair game. This is really helpful when there are so many cousins that can hand things down to one another.

Let’s face it, though. If things are tight for your family, spending a ton of money on Christmas just is not a smart move. It’s far smarter to take things easy financially and enjoy the meaning of the holiday and the time with your family.

Even Santa would agree, don’t you think?

Nope, not one of those families that gets all the Christmas/holiday decorations up right after Thanksgiving. I know a lot of people do, but that’s never quite worked for my family.

Deciding when can be a bit tricky when you have kids in the house. This year we’re pretty free about when to put the tree and other decorations up. Both of the kids are old enough to know and mostly follow the rules.

Next year we’ll have a baby somewhere in the vicinity of 10 months old. That changes things a lot. Anyone who has ever dealt with a mobile baby knows just how enticing bright lights and shiny things are.

Space is another consideration. Our living room is small. A Christmas tree is a big commitment of space for us.

It’s an interesting decision, and so much relates to how your family operates. I suspect we won’t get the tree up until maybe 2 weeks before Christmas. It’s a nice amount of time. We get to enjoy it but not suffer too long for all the crowding and loss of play space for the kids.

So I’m curious… how do you decide when decorations go up?