The Holiday Rush

The Holidays... they are a comin'. It feels like every year gets more and more rushed. The pressure put on earlier and earlier.

Earlier this week when we were traveling I noticed that in every single small town we stopped in all the little shops were already decorated for Christmas. I found it refreshing in the one store I stopped in that wasn't decorated, but as I was checking out the owner said she had just been pulling down the trees. Sigh...

I love Christmas. Seriously, I do, more than the average person. But I refuse to celebrate or "get in the spirit" until after Thanksgiving. I understand from a shop owners perspective to get the decorations up and capture some of those sales. But... I don't know. It was a little sad to see. Do they just skip right past a fall harvest time?

Fortunately in the blog world, where I spend most of my time, has been focusing on Thanksgiving themes (turkey, sides, table decorations, oh my!) a few thoughts toward Christmas thrown in there. Small things like thinking about stockings or Christmas cards. Honestly, that stuff is on my mind too, in a brain storming "what will I do this year" kind of way.

This month I'm writing something I'm thankful for each day on a slip of paper and putting it in a glass bowl in our dining room. Just a little something to keep me thinking about what I'm thankful for and in the moment. I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving and planning the big meal with our families since we will be in town after all.

Thanksgiving, at least to me, has been the more relaxed holiday. That one last time to chill out before Christmas rush. It's a time to eat a big meal and then veg out on the couch with your relatives. Being an adult who cooks kinda makes it a little more stressful, but I'm hoping that without the job pressure I can relax more than usual and soak it all in. Because in the end it's not about if your dish was the best or if your table was the prettiest, it's about spending time with your family and friends.