In the Chaos of This Holiday Season, Can We Just...Stop?

The Sweetest Mother's Day Gift!

Why does this holiday season feel so weird? Anyone else feeling it?

Maybe it’s the fact that I’m pretty sure I just ate turkey and stuffing yesterday and all of a sudden Christmas is a week away.

Maybe it’s because I saw the first Christmas tree in stores on . . . oh, I don’t know, September 12th before I even knew what my kid was going to be for Halloween.

Maybe it’s because I’m struggling buying gifts for people because I feel overwhelmed with the “things” in my house I’m not amped about giving people “things”.

Maybe it’s because all I want to do is sit around and watch Christmas movies but there’s always somewhere to be and an email to write.

Or maybe its because I’m so busy buying the things the stores are telling me I need to be busy buying that I’m not looking at the gifts right in front of me.

I need to breathe out stress, and let contentment in.

Can we all do it together? (I’ll wait.)

But really, friends . . . can we JUST sit on the couch without Amazon pulled up on our screen and instead pull one of the kids up onto the couch beside us and watch a Christmas movie?

Can we push all of the to-do lists and school flyers and unopened bills to the corner of the island and invite the neighbors over for pizza and some board games and not apologize 15 times for the crumbs on the floor by their feet?

Can we just put the kids in the car in their pajamas, turn on the holiday station and drive around and enjoy the lights?

Can we just . . . oh, I don’t know . . . stop?

And breathe. And enjoy. And be with each other. And reflect. And love.

And let go of the expectations of the season . . . and hold on to the people we love.

Because that’s where the joy lies. That’s where contentment is.

THAT is where the holiday lives.

This post originally appeared on The Thinking Branch

The holiday season can be stressful. That’s why we’re slowing down to breathe in joy with a family-friendly game and pizza delivery!

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Brea Schmidt

Brea Schmidt is a writer, speaker and photographer who aims to generate authentic conversation about motherhood and daily life on her blog, The Thinking Branch. Through her work, she aims to empower people to overcome their fears and insecurities and live their truth. She and her husband raise their three children in Pittsburgh, PA.

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In the Chaos of This Holiday Season, Can We Just…Stop?

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