I love Christmas, I love everything about it! I love the music and decorating my house with sparkly trinkets. I love the romance of a fresh snowfall and snuggling up by a fire. I love the meaning behind Christmas and the time to refocus and celebrate together with family. So when my husband frustratedly announced one day that he hated Christmas, it came as a huge shock to me. How could he possibly hate all those things? With my heartfelt enthusiasm towards the holiday, I really didn’t understand where he was coming from at all.
PIN ME!
Over the years, as I have gotten to know this man of mine, his frustrations have become a little clearer to me. Some of these may be true for you, others may not. These are some of the reasons my husband can get fed up with Christmas (and keep reading to enter to win $500 cash!).
5 reasons people get fed up with Christmas.
1. The rat-race.
You know the old adage, keeping up with the Jonesses? Well, during Christmas the air of competition goes to a whole new level. Who has the best lights? Who makes the most home-baked goodies? Which house or family has the nicest Christmas tree? How many presents are you buying your kids this year? The best parts about Christmas, the meaning behind it all, the time spent with family… those things can easily get lost in the race to get it all done.
2. Just buy it.
We live in a Nike culture, where “just do it” assails us in every advertisement and commercial and even conversation we have. It doesn’t matter if you can’t afford it, if it blows you budget! This opportunity only comes once a year people! Just buy it and figure out a way to pay it off later, right? The pressure to buy bigger and better makes my money-conscious hubby’s blood pressure rise to a whole new level.
3. The meaning can get lost behind the pretty bows and wrapping paper.
Disclaimer, my love language is receiving gifts. It comes naturally to me and isn’t done out of some compulsory holiday tradition. However, oftentimes (especially in our large family) the list of gifts to buy slowly chips away at the real meaning behind Christmas. We can’t snuggle up by the fire and spend time as a family, mom still has to buy presents for Uncle Bob and Aunt Jill. And let’s not forget the message that can be sent to our children in the process! It can be difficult for a child to focus on the meaning of the holiday when they are really just focused on when they can open those tantalizing gifts under the tree.
4. The busyness.
Shopping. Crowds. Pushing. Shoving. Can’t breathe. Losing consciousness. The end.
Shopping aside, December often turns into black scribbles on the calendar. Dress rehearsals for the play, cookie exchanges, concerts, holiday parties and get togethers. If we are not careful, we can easily book something each day and the constant running gives us no time to just sit and ENJOY the Christmas season together as a family.
5. Overindulgence.
To go along with the culture of, if it feels good, do it… we have the: if it looks good, eat it. The total and complete lack of self-control around the holiday’s can be a big regret in January when we hop on the scale. It often brings along with it sugar-crazed little kidlets who won’t go to bed and along with that, sickness and viruses that always seem to plague us during the Christmas season.
DON’T DO IT!
Some of you reading this have it all together. You have budgeted in Christmas shopping that won’t break the bank. You have worked out your schedules and calendars together and prioritized what was most important (and you’re a superstar). But for many others, Christmas creeps up on us and we are just along for the ride. If your husband (or you) is feeling ready to run for the hills… try the “don’t do it” philosophy out for size! Let go of the pressure, the competition, the need to do bigger and better and more! Step back and talk about what works for you, what fits in YOUR budget and YOUR schedule! And if you are needing some extra cash for Christmas presents this year, scroll down and enter to win the giveaway for $500 Paypal CASH!
Enter to Win $500 Paypal Cash!
The Christmas season is upon us! And while this is a joyous and festive time of the year, it can also be a time of financial stress and worry for some. That is why I’m teaming up with 25 other bloggers to bring you a Christmas Blessings Giveaway for $500 Paypal cash! We understand the stress of fulfilling our kids’ Christmas lists, or having an unexpected bill to pay, or even just having enough money to put gas in the car and coats on our kids.
We hope to lift some of that burden for one family and bless them with $500 Paypal cash to use for whatever their family needs. Whether it’s for Christmas gifts, to pay off bills, or to save for a rainy day, we hope this giveaway will bless a family this holiday season. And we are blessed to be a blessing as well.
You can earn a lot of entries in the Rafflecopter form below. I know it can seem tedious and time consuming to go through all the entries, but isn’t a chance at $500 worth it? I think it is! Plus, if all of these generous bloggers didn’t participate, we wouldn’t have been able to have such a big prize! So I hope you will take the time to go through each entry. Who knows, maybe you will find some new blogs to follow.
The giveaway will run from Monday, December 7th through Sunday, December 13th (ends at 11:59pm EST). Winner will be notified by email shortly after the giveaway ends and will have 48 hours to respond to claim the prize or another winner will be drawn. You must have a Paypal account to win.
