Does anyone else feel like Christmas is the Showstopper Challenge for moms?

If you’re not familiar with what the “Showstopper Challenge” is, let me offer some clarification.

The Showstopper Challenge is the third of three weekly challenges on the Great British Baking Show (if you haven’t watched it, it’s on Netflix, stop your life and start watching). This is the challenge where contestants show off their very best baking skills for that week’s category.

This is your best work. 

Showstopper Challenges require careful planning, preparation, and skill.

Christmas is like that for moms.

Or at least it is like that for me.

Christmas is the culmination of all your work as a mom for the year.

Ok no, that is dramatic.

But it is a time where all your best mom skills are put to use.

You have the time management portion.

The listening piece.

The cooking.

The budgeting.

The crafting.

The toy assembly.

And the memory skills.

So many skills go into that one day.

I think as moms we put a little bit too much pressure on ourselves to make that day perfect.

I know I spend time worrying that if the presents are just right, the day isn’t well planned, or the meal isn’t delicious that somehow the magic of Christmas will be ruined.

Let me tell you a secret… it won’t be.

If instead of making my own bread for homemade stuffing, I used a box of Stovetop… Christmas dinner wouldn’t have been ruined.

If I hadn’t spent months picking out the perfect Lego sets, my kids probably would keep believing in Santa.

As the mom, I want the whole day to be magical, I want my kids to look back on Christmas and think it was a beautiful day, but to be honest, in 20 years… they won’t remember the details (or 20 minutes if we are actually being honest).

I’m sure the Christmases of my childhood weren’t perfect, but I look back on them with fond memories.

There was the year my mom made all four of us quilts and carefully slipped them on us while we were sleeping.

The year my parents decided that Martinellis sparkling cider was the best stocking stuffer around (no for real this is the BEST stocking stuffer).

 

I remember waking my siblings up at 3am (no really) to peak at the tree, and then waking my parents up every hour between 3 and 7 until they gave in.

And I remember being convinced that my jolly whitebearded grandpa was the “real” Santa.

The frustrating and imperfect moments from my childhood Christmases have long since faded.

I’m no longer annoyed that clothes didn’t fit perfectly, or that batteries weren’t included.

As it’s almost January and I’m a bit of a goal oriented person, I’m setting a goal right now for Christmas 2018.

I want to view Christmas as an experience to be shared and enjoyed, and less of a long to do list.

I want to have my kids plan some of the events, and I want to enjoy them even if they aren’t exactly what I had planned.

I want to shift the focus from what we need to do, to what we get to do.

I’m excited to Christmas already!