Chips and Salsa, Pa Rump Pa Pa Pom

This week I ate lunch with a girlfriend and fellow mom. While we ate our chips and salsa, we discussed the holiday season. As we discussed our lives, our little people, and our holiday schedules we quickly realized it’s not the holiday itself causing distress (we both love Christmas, Jesus, and twinkle lights). The real culprit of holiday stress is feeling like its never enough.

This week’s theme for our family has been limping along to the finish line, the kids will be on Christmas break by the end of the week. A break from lunches, driving, practices, and the hustle and bustle of busy school mornings. But before the break we have school parties, coworker Christmas parties, and multiple family gatherings to attend. We have doctors appointments, basketball practices for multiple children, and the added pressure of finishing Christmas shopping. Did I mention that multiple children have multiple events that require costumes?

While I always manage to get things done throughout the week, the impact of some of these holiday events can feel overwhelming in addition to the normal house hold responsibilities, like my personal favorite washing the sheets. Not to mention this is the first year we’ve returned to "normal". After a two-year pandemic break, we have returned to our regularly scheduled programming.

Quickly, my friend and I realized that we’re really not upset about the stress of the holiday season. In reality, it’s an issue of the inability to meet the standards we have set for ourselves. The reality is no one besides me will know if I didn’t get the sheets and towels washed this week. No one will care if I miss a practice or even a dress up event.

For the next week, I plan to channel the little drummer boy. I am just going to show up to events, drum in hand and be present. And while I can put pressure on myself to wrap all the Christmas presents, put dinner in the crockpot, wash the sheets, and attempt to pick out the perfect gift for everyone on my list, all I have to do is be present.

So if this holiday season you feel the extra stress of your own expectations, remember what you can control. The real power is in how you respond to stressors. You can choose your response. Your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are up to you. So if you need to simplify, do that. Just be present, the rest will work itself out.

Over a bowl of chips and salsa we chose to simplify. No costumes, no expensive gifts, and no added pressure. Just being present for each other this holiday season is showing up with your drum, Pa rump pa pa pom.