Christmas Decorating - oh, the pressure!

I was reading a women's magazine a couple of weeks ago - a Family Circle, or something similar - and was horrified to read 'Dont forget to put up your tree on December 1'! 

My first reaction was a knee-jerk 'Says Who?'

This militant - do it this way, it's the proper/right/traditional way or else you'll be... (name your poison... a bad mother?  An incompetent homemaker?) is totally inappropriate! 

Before we go any further, though, I have a confession to make.  Our Christmas tree DID go up on Friday, December 1st.  But not by me.  And not because that was the date the magazines said we should.  I was out taking my boys for a haircut, and playing taxi (one of my all time favourite ways to spend Friday afternoon:), and when I got home Gorgeous Girl had dug her way into the dark recesses of our store room, located the tree and all the boxes of decorations, and had the tree up, the lights on and was starting on the baubles! 

I was thrilled!  I love Christmas decorations, but when I am short of time it's really the last thing I have energy for.  But, being only 13, she enjoyed every minute of it - especially without her brothers around to annoy her I suspect.

(oh, and being a 13 year old, of course, the contents of the store room were all scattered in the hallway, making it hard to walk into the house - but we managed to rectify that pretty quickly later that evening:)

But, back to my initial premise.  The reason Chris and I put SOXS together was first and foremost to try and relieve the pressure so many people feel around Christmas.  That whole raft of expectations that we, and our loved ones, have around the festive season.  Aided and abetted no-end by the media, and the shops.  We've been brainwashed into believing that Christmas is all about piles of presents and huge turkeys and decorations that go up on December 1 and come down on January 6.  And all that goes along with that (I'm not even mentioning the shopping!)

But, really, that isn't it at all - is it?

Sure all that stuff is nice.  But not at the expense of our sanity.  Of our peace of mind.  Of time with our families. 

Sometimes we're so busy doing what the magazines tell us we 'should' be doing that we forget what it is we really want, and what the real purpose of this beautiful time of year is.

I'd like to take a little time (yes, a 'little' time is probably all you have, isn't it?) and think about what it is that makes the festive season, and Christmas, so very special to you, personally.

Then, go the next step and ask - is this what I have been planning on doing this Christmas?

If the answer is No then what are you going to do about it?  It's NOT too late.  There are still more than 20 days until December 25.  What's going to be different this year?

If you'd like additional help - well, that's why we developed SOXS.  Pop on over and grab YOUR copy today!