lauramcewan:

I usually rail that I won't do Christmas things until December, at LEAST, but my children are persuasive and chore-willing beings if it means that they can start decorating early.

It's funny to me how each year, I feel very differently. I remember Christmas 1999, it was the first time I'd hosted a Christmas dinner. Our chairs were old and children-stained: fabric covered chairs on wheels, virtually impossible to clean by that point. I covered them loosely in holiday themed fabric and other chairs were brought from card tables and the like to make up the difference. Dinner itself was fine, but I felt ill the entire time, and knew full well why. I half-expected that someone would call me on my lack of drinking any champagne, but no one really did. I was saving the announcement of Jayne's impending birth until New Year's, as a Year 2000 deal. ;)

But I never forgot how I FELT that year. Drawn and tired, sick...too much to do and it seemed it took five times as long to accomplish anything as normal. Decorations seemed dark and heavy and cluttering up everything and honestly, I believe that year, I insisted the tree come down the day after Christmas. Katie was not quite four, and Karl was only 19 months, so they didn't have much argue points to make, and had new toys to play with. What I needed was the illusion of space that having no tree or decorations up gave me, mentally and emotionally.

As the years have gone by since then, I've learned to follow my heart on when things happen. This year, I'm willing to let the kids decorate early, put the tree up with non-breakable ornaments until we know what the cats will do, (note to self: no catnip in December!) and try to simply enjoy it all. I've taken pressure off myself as much as I can - making some gifts rather than buying, going small and "consumable" with the kids as we can, limiting how many cards we'll send out. Next year it'll probably be big again.

So I take them as they come. Big or small, it's how that year's Christmas will be.