Being Enough

“Did I stop and read to her today? Did I get down and play enough? Did I yell? Did I make her feel important or was I too busy?” I don’t know about you but I know that as a mom I struggle with thoughts like this almost daily. “Did I do enough?” It seems as if this feeling is magnified around Christmas time. As a mom I put a lot on myself during the Holiday’s. I want to bake, I want to decorate, I want to do Christmas cards with cute pictures, I want to purchase meaningful gifts and I want to be able to shower my child in gifts as well.

Those aren’t bad things, in fact, I think those are natural things, but do they take away from what really matters? Do we set our expectations too high on things that really won’t make or break Christmas?

Memories of Them

 

I am 2 years shy of being 30 and in all of the Christmases God has blessed me to be a part of I can honestly say the moments that have lasted are not those filled with things but those filled with people. It wasn’t about some awesome game I got or bike or whatever, it was about the games, the baking, the memory making.

When I think of Christmas growing up one person that stands out is my Nana. I think about how she would get us little trinkets that were cute and such which was nice, but what was even better was when she would get us involved in candy making. Nana rarely let a Christmas go by without some kind of candy being made. If she wasn’t doing up brittle, then she was baking a pie or crafting Cathedral Window cookies. Nana made Christmas special through what she loved best, being with her family.

My Mom is much the same way. She doesn’t do a lot of the candy making but my mom knows how to make Christmas come alive. She decorates every inch of the house, she constantly cooks spices that fill the house with this amazing aroma, and more often then not, Elvis Christmas will be playing. Yes, my mom did everything throughout my life to make sure her children always had something to open but that’s not what has stuck with me. It’s the heart she puts into the season she loves.

Making New Memories

 

Society seems to push that Christmas is about Santa and getting that perfect gift. If we don’t purchase the right thing for our child then they will hate us, Christmas will be ruined and we just need to hang up our Mothering hat.

Society can sure be mean.

Like Moms don’t already have enough to carry, now we have to worry about getting gifts, expensive gifts and making everyone happy.

Mama, can I just stop us all right here and say no.

No to being consumed by getting those expensive gifts that drive up our credit cards and our blood pressure.

No to encouraging our kids to make a list a mile long.

No to expecting ourselves to get it all right or keep it all together throughout the Holiday’s.

Just no.

This year let’s make new memories that involve moments that matter and not things our children will forget. Let’s be open to creating space to breath and extending grace to ourselves. This year let’s let it be about building memories that last and not mountains of toys or gadgets that will get old after a year or so.

What Matters

God sent the most perfect gift of all 2,000 years ago. His Son was the best gift we could ever receive and if we can instill that into our children then we will be giving them a gift they can cherish for their lifetime. Presents are nice, but nothing compares to His presence in our lives and family.

Mama, you are enough. You are amazing. Christmas will be wonderful.

Take a breath and find peace in the real reason for the season.

This year let’s make memories of love, joy and presence instead of so much emphasis on presents. It could be a Christmas to change them all!

Rhiannon is a mom, wife, blogger, designer, vlogger and coffee addict that can be found at http://rhiannonskeen.com . That is her corner of the inter-webs where she shares her heart about life and loving Jesus. She also hops on to vlog from time to time and you can find her over on her YouTube channel HERE .

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