Merry Christmas and a Happy Boxing Day!

I love Christmas. The whole hustle and bustle thing, the excitement of children when they see Santa at the mall (or on a forklift at Walmart), the emails that circulate with stories that remind us of the true meaning of the holiday (as well as the ones with cartoon pics of Rudolph measuring Santa's behind to see if it will fit down the chimney), and the fact that people in general are kinder to each other. They'll hold the door for you in the store, strangers say Merry Christmas to you, and they cut you off, honk at you, steal your parking spot, and show you that certain finger less. My family had a very nice Christmas this year. My kids only woke up at 6:00am, which could have been worse. They seemed to really like their presents, and the items of clothing that need to be returned because they didn't fit are only numbered on one hand. Though I love the season, Christmas day wears on me a little bit. We have to rush around to parents and grandparents houses (some that live an hour and a half away) so we don't get much time to sit and enjoy the day and each other. It's hard to remember the true meaning of the day when your mind is completely filled with schedules of when you have to be everywhere. I always feel bad that our kids are shuffled around so much that they don't get to sit and play with their gifts until later. That's why I've adopted Boxing Day as my favorite holiday. Let me just say that the Canadians were total geniuses for coming up with this "holiday." Boxing Day is the day after Christmas and was meant to be a day off for the household help. Maids, butlers, etc. spend Christmas making sure that their bosses have a nice day, so December 26 is their day to sit back, relax, and enjoy the holiday with their own families. For the last couple of years on the day after Christmas, my kids and I spend the entire day in our pajamas and do nothing except play with the new gifts. I put together all the toys, we try out all the games, and we watch a couple of the new movies the kids got. We don't pick up anything, put anything away, and we certainly don't clean (my kids say that there's absolutely no shopping, either). I love sitting back and enjoying a little of the Christmas cheer we missed out on in the hustle of the day before. You might be wondering why I feel entitled to celebrate this day. Aren't we all who are mothers and housewives just like maids? Don't we all feel like unappreciated servants at times? So there you go. Boxing Day applies to us to... and even if it doesn't, I'm sure the Canadians don't mind sharing. So if any of you are in need of a new tradition, or just a wonderful excuse to relax, you might want to try it out next year. I hope you all are enjoying the holidays and wish everyone a Happy New Year!







P.S. This last pic is what happens after running around so much on Christmas day. We got to grandma's, sat Maycie down on the couch, and less than two minutes later, she ended up like this. Hopefully there's some sugar plums dancing around somewhere...