You needn’t have a calendar to know it’s December.  Just observe the nearest toddler, if not your own.  No kid in their right mind can maintain a calm status in December.

No.

Way.

My very own little toddlers deserve a little slack this month…which I probably won’t give to them…but still…on top of it being December we’re about to move.   So, what happens when you take Santa Claus, presents, the Elf on the Shelf, the decorations, the Christmas TV specials, the Christmas performances at church and pre-school, Christmas cookies, Christmas parties, Christmas cards, and so much talk of baby Jesus’ birthday coming that my girls lose it in a cuteness meltdown of “Aw, baby Jesus” every time we drive past a manger scene…what happens when you take ALL of that…and add to it…MOVING.

Behavioral Meltdown.  That’s what.

All be it we’re only moving, literally, a half mile down the road, it’s a big deal.  In fact, it’s such a big deal to me that if we move before Christmas…if we actually pull it off…I’ll cry tears of joy just to open my own new front door on Christmas morning…and then walk in and NOT trip over everyone’s shoes…and then proceed to hang my coat up in …A COAT CLOSET!!!  Shut up, I’ll faint.

So, besides having the perfect equation for my kids to melt down this holiday season, I’ve got my own disastrous mix brewing under the surface.  A constant wreck of ‘what can I pack?’-‘what painting projects can I get done?’-‘make the Christmas cookies-wrap the presents…wait-put the presents together (yep, we’re there) and then wrap them…but what house will we be in?  Where does Santa leave them?  One?  Both?’

Slippery slope…and it hasn’t even snowed yet.

The normal toddler life drama continues through it all.  Starting bright and early at 6:30 am each morning.  Each day, I naively expect that my daughter is going to get up, go to the bathroom, brush her teeth, get dressed, and make her bed while I’m out running.

Each day.

It’s happened once.  I came back from my run and she was ready for breakfast, and we walked into pre-school early.

One time.

With Christmas on the brain, we’ve been late everyday so far this December.

Maybe when it’s actual detentions she’ll motivate herself to get dressed on her own, before it looks as if my head’s about to pop off and roll across the kitchen floor.

And what’s with the blank stare?  It’s as if she’s transported herself mentally to the North Pole and is just chillin’ there until I bother her back to reality.  I can almost see the little elves playing tic-tac-toe with her, surrounded by cartoon woodland creatures and candy cane trees or something….

I guess I should be grateful I only have to nag her around a one story house right now.  In a few short weeks, I’ll be screaming up stairs at her.  No way, when we’re separated by that much space, will we ever make it to school on time again.

No chance.

All that said, Christmastime is still my favorite.  Even though it’s cold and disgusting out and life is wonderfully chaotic, I love it.  With each Bing Crosby sung Christmas Carol, I am transported to my own imagination…where I can still hear my Grandma singing along with Bing…loving every minute of Christmas just as much as I do.  I guess I do need to cut my kids some slack around the holidays.

They want to surround themselves with the magic of the season just as much as I want to surround myself with the happy memories of singing Christmas songs with my Grandma in the kitchen.  She’s definitely smiling in heaven that my little Lo will only accept Frank Sinatra’s version of ‘Jingle Bells.’  Any other version and she says,

“No, Mom…the real Jingle Bells.”

Through all the Holidrama…I feel my angel in my Grams more than ever this year.  Keeping me sane.  Reminding me to laugh at some of the frustrating stuff like I watched her do.  And when my girls and I are jammin’ to Bing’s Christmas Carols in the kitchen…I feel like I can hear her singing along with us.  I am beyond blessed that I will soon get to fill a new space with all of these happy memories.

Happy Christmas 🙂

Megs