Holiday Stress

"Oh, you better watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout. I'm telling you why. Santa Clause is coming to town!!!"

I saw a sign at Walmart the other day that said "52 days until Christmas". Sheer panic!!! With 4 children, it can get expensive to satisfy everyone's Christmas wishes. My kids are pretty understanding though. Last year we used our Christmas money to take a family trip to Colorado. It was fantastic...especially the plane ride, and they didn't seem to miss having lots of goodies under the tree. The problem comes in with my siblings. They all have children now...3 nephews and 2 nieces. They are all very well off financially. I always stress out about what to get people who already have everything. They also have never learned to appreciate the simple things in life. Last year we went into debt to purchase their gifts expecting a monetary gift from my father that never came. We aren't going to do that this year...thus...anxiety. I absolutely hate disappointing people.

I've looked into the possibility of me taking on a temporary job in order to earn some extra money. My oldest daughter is finishing up her 8th grade curriculum and won't start highschool until after the holidays, so is available temporarily to babysit my toddler. Target wasn't interested in hiring me...I suspect due to the chemical sensitivities. Amazon.com is hiring. My brain has been turning off and on lately and I never know when the switch is going to flip. I'm concerned about whether or not I can do the job. And then there is a company I'm considering that changes out the food items in vending machines. It doesn't pay well, but I get to keep all the food that I remove from the machines. That would save on our grocery bill which I could then apply to our gift budget.

The children and I will make fudge for our friends, scout leaders, music instructors and Sunday School teachers. Also, my church's moms group is adopting a needy family to bless this Christmas. That is the fun part of the holiday. I tell my kids that to celebrate Jesus' birthday, he wants us to give the gift of love to others.

My brother and his family will be coming into town for Christmas. My home improves a little every year, but there are still unfinished projects. Also, we are continually working on getting organized...my biggest challenge. I fantasize that if someone could just help me get it organized, I could maintain it. Before I became ill, I used to help others organize and clean their homes for fun! It's so ironic now that I am unable to do it for myself now. I don't even know how to begin to find someone to help me. We moved here 5 years ago, and I've never been able to quite get a handle on it. The book and paper clutter was at it's worse when I was homeschooling three of the children at once. We've made a lot of progress since then thanks to my husband building us a storage barn. My brother's family will be staying at a hotel this year...as they are now have two children of their own, and there just isn't enough room here to suit them. But I still want to be able to walk them through the house without stepping over piles. It would be nice to have a ceiling in the hallway as well. Our house has been under construction for about 3 years now. My husband tells me I must learn patience. I think he needs to learn to have a sense of urgency...lol.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philipians 4:6