Throwback Thursday: Stepping Slowly Toward Christmas

I usually post my Throwback Thursdays with little-to-no editing. But today, I'm feeling a little grinchy, and the unedited version of this post felt a little preachy and a lot hypocritical. I'm hoping this revised version has something for everyone -- from those overflowing with Christmas spirit to those who might be feeling as though they've been hit by Santa's sleigh, with nary an elf in sight.

Step by step. One foot in front of the other. And elves only get underfoot anyway. :-)

My husband is one of those people who thinks that Thanksgiving signals the beginning of the Christmas season, and, if we haven't hit the ground running by December 1, we're behind schedule. This year, we've added a sunroom on to the back of our house with plans to put the tree up out there. We're still waiting for the finishing touches so, alas, no tree yet. 

I tend to approach the holiday season more slowly, due in no small part to the fact that the first two weeks in December are the end of the fall semester. As such, they're filled with assignments, papers and exams, all of which need to be graded. It's hard to get excited about giving up a whole Saturday -- or even an entire weeknight -- preparing for Christmas, when, all the while, everything else that needs to be completed before Christmas is calling out to me, sucking the joy out of something that's supposed to be fun.

All that said, I do get excited about Christmas. I like decorating and getting ready (and even I am beyond ready to put up our tree). I just don't want the preparations to turn into another to-do list to set alongside the one I already have.

And so I take small steps. Some days, my small step might be as simple as setting out just one decoration. Other days, that one thing will be decorating the tree or tackling my Christmas cards.

Usually this works but, this year, with a succession of things like family illnesses (everyone is on the mend) and incomplete rooms, some days, I'm struggling to find my Christmas spirit. Small steps don't seem to be enough and, at times, everything that remains to be done (even the fun stuff) feels like too much.

But, most days, doing just one thing helps me feel as though I'm making progress and, as a bonus, the gradual arrival of Christmas at our house helps me to create a balance. While "Christmas" is ubiquitous everywhere else, in our house, Christmas is tiptoeing in slowly, reaching its peak on the actual holiday. Instead of being overwhelmed, I can savor Christmas, piece by piece, being more thoughtful about each step along the way.

This time of year, when daily responsibilities collide with holiday preparations, it's easy to get overwhelmed. Reminding myself that it's okay to take small steps, whether toward Christmas, a more organized house, doing something I enjoy, or perhaps all of the above allows me to savor the season.

And if Mary could have a baby in a manger, I can deal with a delayed Christmas tree.