I know… The holiday’s are the most wonderful time of the year and I shouldn’t complain about the things that bother me about the holidays. Some of it I tend to do to myself but other things are beyond my control. This year may be just a little different.

How Early It Starts

Don’t get me wrong, Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year but it seems like stores start preparing earlier and earlier every year. I feel like each holiday deserves their time to shine and it’s not fair that Christmas seems to dominate the last half of the year. I love Halloween and Thanksgiving and they each deserve to have their time. I feel like we jumped from Halloween the Christmas this year. (I know I did) I was guilty of putting my Christmas decorations up early. We did Friendsgiving at a friends house in mid-November and she started putting up her Christmas tee which inspired my man and me to do the same. Usually I’m the only one excited about decorating while Alex just lets me so for him to want to be involved I jumped on the opportunity. That being said, although it is something that sometimes drive me crazy. This year I’ll make an exception. More time to spread holiday cheer the better, right?

Overspending

I know I cannot be the only person guilty of this. The holidays are here and for most of us it means a small fortune spent on gifts and other non-necessities. Were you tempted by the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales offers? Were some of the sales so good that you veered off your gift list a bit, buying items for yourself in addition to a few other holiday extras? Did you justify going over budget because, “Heck, it’s the holidays! I deserve to splurge a little!”? This is a time of year that it so easy to go over budget. Especially if you are like me and want to perfect gift no matter what. This year I saved a little more throughout the year so when the time came to start shopping I was ready. I also started shopping a little earlier than usual (blame the early christmas decorations) so I didn’t feel like I was spending as much at one time.

The Extreme Commercialization

I’m so guilty of falling into this. I was guilty of it when I was younger asking Santa and my presents for the coolest thing. I’m guilty of getting it for my child when she asks for it now. There are always so many sales, asking Santa what you want for Christmas, buying the perfect gift for someone that it’s like people forget about what’s important. You don’t need to buy someone the latest iPhone or something extravagant. People are rushing to buy the coolest gifts on the best sale. I get that people want to buy gifts for their family, but that is not the main reason for this season.

Many People Forget The Reason For The Season

Now, this kind of ties in with my last point, but it’s also a little different. I feel like this year we may be a little more grateful. We may be a little more appreciative of the true reason for the season. Jesus and Love. Not everyone is religious and that’s fine! Even if you’re not the holidays are a special time of year to reflect on the previous year. All the ups and the downs and everything in between. It’s a time to be truly grateful for family, friends and loved ones. This was a tough year without a doubt. But within the toughness of it all there was an awakening in some people to truly appreciate what is important and prioritize that.

What are somethings that bother you about the holidays or Christmas in particular? Let me know in the comments!

with love,

c.p