Christmas Stress & Measuring Expectations...

I am sure I am not alone in my childhood Christmas memories being littered with such Mummy catch-phrases as...

"I get NO thanks from NO ONE!"

"I'M JUST TRYING TO GET ORGANISED!"

"I suppose you all think the Christmas fairy organised all this?!"

And other such theme tunes from the festively pressurised.

Now I get this is my first Christmas as a Mum and all I have to worry about is one little baby and a husband. But mix in half a dozen December birthdays, the fact we're hosting Christmas and some of THE most disorganised family members known to man and I'm about ready to bust out a shrill "I get NO thanks from NO ONE!"

I have a glimmer of it now. I don't like it. I don't want to go there. I want to be a source of fun for my children. I don't want to set myself up for being the bad guy but I also don't want to feel unappreciated.

There's a balance to be struck somewhere. It involves asking the following...

Who am I doing this for?

What is my goal?

Are my expectations realistic?

Am I so busy building "perfect" memories that I am missing the real stories being written?

I need to measure all this. Slow down. Absorb. 

A few snaps from our trip to Jimmy's Farm... The PERFECT spend of a sunny winters day...

 Lesson

This will be the most wonderful Christmas. The only variable is if I am really there to see it.