What Christmas Is… The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

Ask anyone what Christmas is to them and a hundred memories of Christmases past are sure to wash over them.

We love to glamorize the holiday but with it comes stress, too!

And so, this holiday, I share all of what Christmas is to me and my family.

Get more Christmas inspiration — including Christmas recipes, holiday crafts and children’s activities.

This post contains affiliate links.

Christmas is :

• Lovingly taking out our family ornaments to hang on the tree
• Worrying the kids are going to drop them or the dog will eat them
• Allowing the kids to hang the crystal stars on the tree anyway

Christmas is:

• Going sledding in the crisp winter air
• Taking half an hour to get ready to go outside only to have one child give up after five minutes
• Cuddling up with a hot cup of cocoa to warm frozen fingers

Christmas is:

• Trying a new holiday craft off of Pinterest
• Experiencing a complete Pinterest Fail!
• Having a great story to tell friends on Facebook

Christmas is:

• Hanging up the colored lights outside
• Fighting with one set of lights that just won’t work
• Having them miraculously turn on by themselves. Don’t know how. Don’t care.

Christmas is:

• Listening to gorgeous choirs singing Christmas carols
• Having the boys yell that they hate this music
• Compromising and taking turns picking the songs

Christmas is:

• Baking up a storm of holiday cookies
• Managing kids on a complete sugar high
• Enjoying the creative way the kids decorated the cookies

Christmas is:

• Watching the intricate holiday train displays
• Trying to keep your kids from touching each and every train
• Taking home a new special train

Christmas is:

• Picking out presents for all of your loved ones
• Visiting four different stores to try and find that one toy your kids absolutely wants
• Having an extremely helpful employee call around until he finds it for you

Christmas is:

• Driving through the Christmas light displays
• Listening to the little one say that it’s boring
• Turning the lights into a scavenger hunt game

Christmas is:

• Watching your favorite holiday movies
• Finding out the DVD has been scratched midway through the film
• Discovering you can stream it to your TV

Christmas is:

• Getting together for a huge family dinner
• Eating way too much and feeling overstuffed
• Not caring because it’s only one day of the year!

This Christmas, I wish you all of the joy of the holiday season!