Who Cares About Your Holidays?

When I was pregnant, I fell in love with these Aidan & Anais swaddle blankets.  They’re muslin and soft and beautiful and absolutely necessary.  So I registered for them and used a gift card to get them and waited to enjoy them.  And Tyrone looked at me and said, “Baby don’t care.”

As the holidays draw nearer, the stress levels go higher.  The food that needs to be cooked.  Gifts to be purchased.  Budgets blown.   Everything cleaned and re-cleaned.  If you’re like Chelsea, you’re going to have a hectic schedule.

All of this to create the illusion of a perfect Thanksgiving or Christmas or Hannukah or Festivus.  Whatever you choose to celebrate brings a level of anxiety and stress.  And for what?  Who cares?

I still need to get Christmas cards.  That entails a few things… 1. Picking outfits that will relatively match which is incredibly hard because Addy is into all things pink, Tyrone is a fashionista, and I really only wear Chucks.  2. We need to take a picture of all 3 of us. Smiling. 3. I then upload said picture into a design and order a buttload of  cards.  4. Those cards need to be addressed and stamped and sent out in a timely fashion.

fake. snow. everywhere.
fake. snow. everywhere.

Why?

Because I want to wish people a Merry Christmas?  I’m pretty sure I can grab a box of Hallmark cards and send them out, and it will get the same sentiment.  Even more so I can write a quick note in a generic snowy card and get the point across with greater ease.  I don’t need to be elaborate.

It’s that underlying need for everything to *look* a certain way.  Is it for Facebook bragging or Instagram likes?  Has it always been this way, and I’ve just been oblivious? I’ve heard of mom’s spending big bucks on a kid’s birthday party and yet they aren’t in any of the pictures or they haven’t even had a slice of their fondant covered, intricately designed birthday cake.  We wipe the noses so the pictures come out perfect for the cards, but exhaust ourselves to the point of asking for photoshopped concealer.  We wrap the gifts with precision and feel joy when the scissors do that thing when they just glide across the wrapping paper then watch them get ripped to shreds in seconds.

Why do we do these things?

It’s one thing to actually enjoy it.  {I do love the sense of satisfaction when I get enough paper to cover a big gift.}  But it’s not necessary for Christmas to happen.  I appreciate the effort my sister-in-law puts into cooking every dish known to man, but there would still be Thanksgiving without apple pie cheesecake. {But please make the cheesecake, Karen!}  Is there an easier way to send Christmas cheer than the rigmarole of the route I choose to go? Of course! Hallmark and the ancient art of phone calls.

When I washed and folded those fantastic A&A blankets, I couldn’t wait to swaddle Addy in them.  And you know what? She broke every single swaddle with a small triumphant baby fist.  Tyrone was right.  She didn’t care.  I’m not saying that you are wrong for how you choose to prep for your holiday celebrations.  I’m just saying we need to choose wisely.   What will people actually care about on the day of?  In a year?  In five years?

What can you do now to make sure you care about your holidays?

Previous articleToday I Will Own My Brave
Next article2014 Houston Holiday Event Guide
Breonna B
Breonna was born and raised in Houston, Texas. She is recently married to Tyrone, a graphic designer. They currently reside on the West Side of this great city. A big fan of movies, books, photography, and Starbucks, she currently finds herself knee-deep in the throes of being a mommy to Addy {Feb 2011}. Breonna spends the typical 9-5 doing yadda yadda yadda at her job {yes, it’s that nondescript and uninteresting}. She started blogging as a way to do movie reviews, but that gave way to pregnancy blogging. She eventually landed her own space of the internet on BreWrites as well as on Twitter and Instagram {@brewrites} where she talks about everything from the sassiness of her child, to the most recent concert tickets she got her hands on, to the occasional piece of short fiction.

1 COMMENT

  1. This is the most perfect read for me! It’s like you took the thoughts right out of my head…but in a much funnier, clever way. Such a good reminder for everyone feeling the pressure this time of year – or anytime! It also makes me want to throw away all of my “perfect’ Christmas cards that I totally do each year out of obligation. Yes, they are fun to receive and I love looking through all of our old cards each year, but come on, a heartfelt, handwritten note would be much more meaningful.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here