Merry & Bright....Right?

So this one is about me and all the other parents who share the same affliction that I do.  I am NOT festive!  Yep, it's true, I'm no Grinch, but I hate Christmas music, I hate shopping (mass consumerism in general, but that's a different rant).  I have no interest in ruining anyone's good cheer or good time, but in earnest, I simply don't share the festive feeling.  Maybe it's genetic, my mother wasn't festive, she threw out our tree onto the lawn a week before Christmas when it kept falling over!  Don't worry, we got a new, granted, much smaller one.  I know that I can't be alone in lacking that festive feeling.  But when you add kids into the mix, it's no longer just about you!,  Often you feel you must fake it until you make it, or at least do a really believable job at faking it for their sake.  Take for example, the wreath, photographed above. My daughter and I made on the weekend, I was getting over the flu and was in no mood to craft, but that stunning work of art (joke) is more than a wreath, it's a happy memory for the memory bank, and even though it was a bit painstaking to make, I don't regret it.  

Because here's what I do love, I love making memories with my child.  She has amazing memories of Christmas and other holiday traditions that we have created.  She even remembers tens of spaces where ornaments that are special to her "should" be placed on our tree.  She takes pride in every ornament she has made for our tree and delights in placing them on the tree each season.  She loves the specific books we read and cookies we bake.  

But it's okay in private moments to be overwhelmed at the work load and pressure this adds to your already hectic life.  Particularly if you do not naturally find joy in the festivities. 

Anyone who knows me knows, I am honest!  The truth matters to me, but when my child remembers holidays with warmth and love, faking the festive for me is worth it.  Because the joy and love is pure and is most definitely, truth!  So my fellow festive fakers (no matters your cultural celebrations are), I see you, I feel you, I am you.  Remember, you might be faking your festive for your kids, but the love is so very real..... Also Irish Cream in Eggnog helps too if that's your thing;)