The Joy of the Holiday Season

Oh, the joy of the holiday season. Its that time of year when we eat enormous amounts of sugar, spend time and money trying to find the perfect gifts for those close to us even though those gifts may be re-gifted or returned, and of course spread ourselves way too thin with holiday parties and events. It can be difficult at first to get into the spirit when we are pushed and pulled in so many directions. No one wants to admit the fact that they might just dread the onset of the holidays. Who wants to be labeled as a Scrooge or Grinch? And if you have kids, you really have to fake it to make it!

Its okay though. You are not alone. If you think about it, the whole charade is quite comical. For my husband and I, it seems to be the only time of year that we are quick to get the ladder out and get down boxes of decorations to spend a day or two decorating the inside and outside of our house. Yet we allow a squeaky screen-door and burnt out light bulb to be ignored for weeks. And how did a picture with Santa at the mall become so expensive?!? It was not too long ago that a picture with Santa was under twenty dollars. It now costs a whopping forty-five dollars for my kids to get a picture with Santa, talk to him for five seconds, and receive a small broken candy cane.

This year we will still buy a real Christmas tree even though it makes a terrible mess and is a chore to dispose of. My son will ask every day for weeks, Is it Christmas yet? Whats taking so long?! Family will come in to town and stay for days and my husband will complain that hes not able to take a hot shower. And finally, I will stand in long lines at the post office just to get Christmas stamps and mail off packages. A couple days ago my husband asked me, Will you be going for a run on Christmas morning? and I replied, Only if you want me to be Merry that day!.

I guess there comes a point when we need to surrender and know that the holiday season is always going to be chaotic no matter what. Much like a roller-coaster ride, the holidays are scary and exciting all at the same time! I know that one-day years from now when life slows down for us, we are going to miss the fun filled craziness of the holidays. In the end, I guess it is not so bad and to be honest I would not change a thing. So for now, we will enjoy the ride!

Happy Holidays from The Runner Mama!

* Follow The Runner Mama on Facebook: facebook.com/the.runnermama, Instagram: instagram.com/therunnermama, and Twitter: @TheRunnerMama