Christmas Blues

Is it just me, or is the holiday season this year a bit...I don't know, blah? I don't seem overly motivated to put up all my Christmas decorations this year. It is the 7th of December and I don't even have 1/4 of my shopping done. Even when neighbors show up with little neighbor gifts--home baked banana bread, a canister of hot chocolate, a cute tree ornament, etc.--I still feel a bit surprised that it is even the correct month for gift giving.
It might be because I spend my days putting ornaments back on the tree when the littles take them off. Get mad at them because they broke the head off one of the kids on the 'Hop on Pop' ornament. Keep catching them eating the advent calendar treats.....
I think I figure that if I put out all the decorations it will be just that much more I have to keep after them about leaving them alone. Which is probably true, actually, but that shouldn't be a reason to just ignore the festiveness (is that a word?) of the season.
Seems a bit 'Bah Humbug' of me. Not my usual Christmas cheer.
Top that off with my desire to lose 10 pounds before my birthday so I am also trying to avoid my usual Christmas baking sprees that I love to do...well, I guess I am feeling Grinch-like.
(Surely it has nothing to do with the fact that my birthday will be the big 4-0. Surely. 40 is the new 30, right? 30 was a good year....)

On the plus side, we are reading a chapter of the book of Luke each night as a family. That's been good. Keeps the season in the right frame of mind that way anyway. And as a bonus there is very little complaining or arguing during that time. So for a whopping ten minutes each night, my family is almost peaceful. (I did say almost..)

So what am I going to do about my Christmas blues? Probably nothing spectacular. I will get around to putting up my decorations--very, very high. And I will break down and do some baking. And I will eventually get Christmas shopping done. And then before I know it Christmas will have come and gone, my birthday will be looming, and I will have put ON ten pounds (due to the breaking down and baking part...because I have no self-control and cannot possibly fathom the idea of baking goodies and then not eating any of them. What a laughable idea.). And then I will wonder why I worried. Why I didn't enjoy the season more--and I will make some silly New Year's resolution to be better next year and get into the spirit of the holiday and make it fun for everyone to the point of nausea. And next year will probably be the same. Except everyone will be older. One less kid will believe in Santa. I'll still be trying to lose that 10 pounds. And I'll be almost 41.

This might not be the best rambling I've ever done, but it ranks fairly high for the most depressing.

Ho Ho Ho