GREENSBORO, N.C. — It’s time for ‘My 2 Cents.’
There’s a reason “the hustle and bustle of the holiday season” is a common saying. There is so much to do, gifts to buy, boxes to wrap, mantles to decorate, stockings to stuff, meals to plan, houses to clean – I could literally fill the rest of this page my long to-do list for the next week before Christmas.
I won’t – but I bring it up because yesterday I found myself stressing so much about all that I had to do, that I forgot the reason I was doing it: to make the holidays special for my family.
And can we just get real for a minute, they don’t care. We put so much pressure on ourselves to find the perfect gift, make the most delicious meal, clean every inch of our homes and flawlessly wrap presents… when all our loved ones really want is stress-free time with us.
Back to yesterday – I was frantically shopping online, planning a trip to the store, wondering how I’d get everything together. I stopped and thought, even if none of this got done, even if I showed up next week empty handed, Christmas would still be special.
So I’m telling you, and myself, to take a step back. Don’t allow yourself to get caught in the hustle or lost in the bustle. We’ve had so little to enjoy this year, let’s enjoy this time.
I’ll leave you with this quote from Dr. Suess’ "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!": "It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”