Christmas Eve

I LOVED having Christmas Eve on a Sunday this year. I'm sure it has fallen on a Sunday in the past, but it didn't really register with me like it did this year that it was so wonderful. In the past Christmas Eve would be filled with stressfull stuff of making sure I had everything we needed and running out to the store to get the last minute stuff, then stressing about getting the meal done on time, having time to get in the Christmas Story and putting out the cookies and milk for Santa before bedtime. At least the kids always would go to sleep very willingly on Christmas Eve, but it always felt stressfull and not calm and quiet.

This year it was so much more peaceful and calm. A huge part of it was because Rich did so much for Christmas. I just have an aversion to going out and shopping and spending money and stuff. I don't enjoy it at all and get stressed out and overwhelmed when I go to the stores. Last year and this year Rich has done almost all of the christmas shopping for the kids. We would sit and look at toys online and talk about the different ideas that we had for the kids and then he would go to the toy store and buy it all and make the decisions from what was there. He has taken over the stressful part of Christmas for me and left me to deal with the part I like. I like the baking and cooking and decorating. That part really didn't have anything to do with Christmas Eve being on a Sunday, but I do have to acknowledge that it was a major part of it being less stressfull for me this year.

The part I loved about it being on a Sunday, was that we spent Christmas Eve at church in the morning, and just relaxing as a family in the afternoon. I did some cooking in the kitchen, but the kids and Rich played games and just spent the afternoon doing quiet and peaceful activities that seemed to complement the spirit that we want for Christmas instead of us being so busy and stressed over things that we are fighting to have a peaceful evening before the kids go to bed. We still had to wrap presents after the kids went to sleep, but that is always fun to sit and wrap presents with Rich and fill the stockings. Angela was still awake, but she's young enough not to be able to tell the other kids what she saw. :)