I have to admit, I am feeling kind of sentimental & weepy this Christmas week morning. There is a stage that is unique to empty nesters that is not real fun.The stage of being a family of adults only. My sons are single, and the idea of grandkids looks pretty far away. Christmas is kind of quiet for us.
Now I know why many families plan winter getaways & activities during this time. The four of us are together a lot all year round & our extended family is out of state, so that leaves us trying to figure out how in the world to make this holiday special!
The only special thing I did this year was make some wonderful Peppermint Dark Choc. Bark for all our co-workers & friends! It was so fun to wrap up 40 little bags of the sweet stuff!I'm not staying up late wrapping gifts each night, not buying stupid stuff for stockings, not planning a big Christmas Day meal, not hiding gifts in my office, not wrapping teacher gifts, not making Christmas Program costumes, not decorating sugar cookies with my boys, not walking through the toy section searching for the exact Starwars guy on the wish list.
Sound pretty glum don't I? It is really not like me to be this way. Especially at Christmas time! I know this pity-party is not going to last. I am aware of all the good things in my life right now. I have a beautiful home & some crazy loyal
friends that I get to work with every day. In fact one couple just now called & we are going to see the new movie "Avatar" together later this afternoon! Couldn't do that if I had little ones around could I?
My message to all the moms I have been reading this morning.........
Enjoy the CRAZINESS, take delight in the stress of it all! Let the kids make a mess in the kitchen while decorating cookies. Wrap every single thing in the stockings, even the pack of gum. Go ahead & buy the teacher whatever goofy thing your child picks out. Eat fudge for breakfast.
Ignore all the magazine articles about making Christmas simpler. It will get simpler when your nest is empty. Simplicity can be highly over rated! EMBRACE THE CRAZINESS!
Beautiful post. It is so different for each of us as the nest empties but I pray you will flow into the GLORIOUS FUN part that we are experiencing. It took and still takes some adjusting for us....but we are beginning to do CRAZY things we didn't do while kids and their activities consumed us. Grandkids seems far off for us as well....so I'm working on resting in the abiding quiet that is this season...BECAUSE hopefully we both have CRAZY grandparent days around the corner and once again rest will be wonderful. :o)
ReplyDeleteNo matter how many times people tell me to enjoy the craziness I always, always need to be reminded AGAIN. (Where were you last night when I really needed the reminder??)
ReplyDelete:)
aahhh....sweetheart, i couldnt have said it better myself.......it just seems a little pointless when its all for grown ups.......I find it hard now that we are slap bang in the middle of summer, to think about eating pudding and large baked meals.
ReplyDeleteEvery year for the last 20 years I have been telling my kids that 'this year there will only be a few gifts' and this year it is really true- they have about three small things and some cash.
Empty nest syndrome ? oh yeah- we should start a combined blog on that subject !!
I dont think the mother in me will ever get used to having a 'best before' date.........
love and best wishes dear Sister xxxx
Thanks for the timely reminder to treasure these days!!! I think I needed that.
ReplyDeleteThank you for all these lovely comments. They mean a lot to me & help me get some better perspective for this season.
ReplyDelete