Turn the unexpected into the unforgettable

I think this comment sums up my attitude about things that go wrong during the holidays, 'Turn the unexpected into the unforgettable'.

I watch people running around, trying to create the perfect holiday. Their lives become frantic and full of stress. They spend their days thinking of everything that could possibly go wrong so they can make sure to have a solution right at their fingertips. They run themselves ragged, running for the finish line of a picture perfect holiday. I know because I used to be one of them.

I had these visions of what a perfect holiday would look like. The kids sitting around the Christmas tree in their pajamas, smiling and laughing as they open presents. Mom & Dad snuggled on the couch, watching their offspring with hearts bursting with love.

The irony is that when I was running around, making everything perfect, it never was. I never experienced this glowing scene, and, if there was a perfect moment or two, any glimpse I may of had of it was from behind a camera.

Once I let go of the scene, when I stopped trying to create the perfect holiday, it all started to fall into place. When I spent my time and energy enjoying the moment I was in, the special day seemed to take care of itself, when I looked at all the things that go wrong as memories in the making (because it really is the icky, the messy and the embarrassing that we remember and tell funny family stories about for years to come), that's when it happened. I got my Christmas wish.

No longer did it matter if the table looked just right. No longer did I need to see the Norman Rockwell portrait come to life in my family room. I had spent the last 4 weeks enjoying baking with my girls, having a snowball fight or sledding down hills while picking out a tree, and reminiscing with my husband about every ornament that went on our tree. I didn't have time to create a grandiose picture in my mind, and that means my family didn't have to live up to some mental fabrication in order for me to enjoy the holiday.

By letting go I got exactly what I was looking for.



For more on the holidays visit www.heartfilledholidays.com