What's Your Holiday Break Boundary?
I don’t know about you, but FOR ME, holiday breaks (and April breaks and February breaks and THE SUMMER BREAK) are opportunities for both my best and worst selves to really make a scene. Maybe I’ll cultivate warm moments of intimacy with loved ones. Maybe I’ll feel suffocated by loved ones and yell very loudly. Who’s to say?! It’s a real roll of the dice.
Situations that have plagued me in the past during school breaks include but are not limited to:
too much structure
too little structure
too many plans
too little plans
too much specialness
too little specialness
too much togetherness
not enough togetherness
EXPECTATIONS OF ALL KINDS
A blissful, frictionless holiday break spent with children is not possible. This much I know to be true. But maybe (just maybe?!) if I think about possible impediments to peace ahead of time, I might be able to avoid at least a couple unhinged screaming fits potential pitfalls.
So this holiday break, I’m going to not check my email every single day. That’s it. Something about remaining plugged in during breaks while I’m in the midst of domestic busyness bifurcates my brain (and my ability to be present and not a jerk) in a not great way. So yeah, that’s my big goal for the holidays. To check my email less. I’ll report back!
We don't travel for Christmas or Christmas eve - family is welcome to come to us, but I am not dragging my kids, pets and all their crap only to add to that crap and throw everyone off their schedules, deal with toxic family behaviors, drunken in-laws etc to only have to drag everyone and their stuff back tired and stressed. No thanks. I also am just doing a lot less this year - to the notice of my kids and husband - because frankly I am tired of being responsible for the holiday spirit. I don't have it this year and I'm fine with it. Also, the mountain of packages that contain gifts needing wrapping is getting unruly and I'm seriously considering foregoing wrapping at this point because it's going to take for flippin' ever. Merry Christmahannukahkwanza to all!
I am done wrapping. I have wrapped a lot of gifts and I am done. If any other gifts arrive, they can be put in gift bags. If the gift is physically larger than the wrapping paper roll (eg the new scooter) I will put a bow on its head and call it done.
Also, I am giving my kids a lesson on what constitutes an emergency when I am on the phone, asleep, or in the bathroom. Blood or fire and that’s pretty much it. There is no such thing as a “snack emergency.”