enjoying the busy

Christmas this year seems to feel more hectic than usual.  I can't imagine why.  I'm sure it has nothing to do with the piano recital I have coming up, or the presents that still need to be bought and wrapped, or the stack of Christmas cards that need to be addressed and sent.  Nope.  Can't be all that...

Yes, it is true, I have a very full plate.  But a few days back when I looked at all I had to do yet, I made a decision: to enjoy it all!  

Sure, I can take the craziness of the holiday season and allow it to stress me out to the point of no enjoyment, but that would just stink.  So instead I have chosen to one day at a time and enjoy what needs to be done.  After all, these are enjoyable things!

I like transforming my family room into a cozy piano recital hall.  I set up all our decorations and make room for all the Christmas goodies.  I put a bunch of folding chairs out and wait for my nervous little students to arrive.  It is the cutest little Christmas event (but don't mention that to the boys wearing their nice pants and ties!) They each take a turn rapidly telling us their name and the song they will play, they perform their Christmas solo, wait for the applause before they bow, and then quickly return to their seats.  It is quaint and sweet and I love it!

And shopping for presents!! What fun!  (We put the joy back into Christmas by budgeting our Christmas cash into an envelope each paycheck.  By the time I go shopping, I don't have to worry about where the cash is coming from. That takes a huge stress out of shopping!)  I love imagining what each person's expression is going to be when they open their gifts.  It is awesome when you find a great gift for that person who is impossible to shop for. And I'd love to say that I love the challenge of the search, but that'd be a lie.  I know what I want and I want it to be where I want to find it!  I don't want to go 3 cities over for it. So that part is not my favorite....  But otherwise, it's great!

And the cards.  We didn't send them out last year because I just couldn't seem to get it crossed off my to-do list.  But this year we had our fantastic family photos taken by my dear friend Sheroba and they deserve to be on a card!! I can't wait for you all to see how big our kids are and how much personality they have!  And I'm excited that I managed to pick out a card that matches what we are wearing - even if that was purely by accident.  And I just adore getting everybody else's cards and putting them up for display.  It is a bonus Christmas display. Plus when I go through my list of people to send to, I am amazed by the amount of wonderful friends and family that God has blessed us with!!

So I'm not going to share the rest of what is on my to-do list because than I might start to get overwhelmed again.  But I will focus on enjoying it all because it is worth enjoying! 

KC