I never wanted to be that family. The one with Christmas lights up before Thanksgiving. I am a fan of celebrating the holidays….all of the holidays, including Turkey day complete with fall leaves, gourds, and pumpkin pie. Red and green decor has no place in the collage of Autumn wonder in my home. (Ok, that’s a bit of an exaggeration. I have a fall wreath on the door and some pumpkins on my mantle.) Christmas decor must wait it’s turn and not make an appearance until Black Friday – after I finish shopping with the other deal-crazed maniacs (read: my daughters).
This year is different. The last few months have been a blur of family demands that have left me emotionally and mentally fatigued. I thought I was busy when my kids were preschoolers and demanded moment-by-moment attention, but now that they are older, the demands are at another mental and emotional level. I find myself wanting to press pause on life and slow the whole mess down. But, I can’t.
I can, however, make a few changes. For instance, I can blog a little less often, say no a little more, and yes, decorate for Christmas a little earlier.
Let me explain. If I can’t slow life down, maybe I can find ways to enjoy it a little longer. Since I don’t want a hectic life to rob my family of the joy of the Christmas season, I’m choosing to start it a bit earlier. I know, I know. It means that red and green decor will overshadow Turkey Day, but who cares? Instead, my family has slowly been decorating the house, stealing moments to hang a stocking or string lights in between study sessions, tumbling, and football playoffs. We’re listening to Jingle Bells while we prep for Velocity 2015 and craft church messages. And, we’re taking pictures of our dog in Santa’s hat while we eat Halloween candy.
Rather than be slapped in the face by the holiday rush, I’m getting a #HolidayHeadStart, which by the way is the name of our latest teaching series at Mountain Lake. I might not be able to slow life down, but I can certainly prevent it from going by in a blur. I’m going to make it last. And make it count.
Local friends, join me this weekend at Mountain Lake as we all embrace a #HolidayHeadStart!
SharpenHer.com 
I am right with you 100% on this. We have 1 son that will be 17 in just a few weeks, so I am completely with you on it being more demanding now than when he was much younger. We are in the process of putting up our decorations today. Most people think we’re crazy, but I think it’s just wise planning to keep down even more of the craziness of the season. I think that everyday is a celebration. We just choose to celebrate Christmas a little longer than most people because we love this particular season. Thank you so much for sharing this. Now I don’t feel so bad.
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Natalie, learning to “go with the flow” of our ever-changing lives is the key to our sanity, isn’t it? LOL! #StickTogether #MakeItLast
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Great article! I’m with you girl!
I hate to ask this but is Shawn teaching this weekend? We wanted to bring some friends to MLC this weekend for the first time. We brought some other guests twice and Shawn was gone, so we were just wondering? Love you, Sheila
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Thanks, Sheila! Yep, Shawn is teaching!
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