Whether you’re scrolling Instagram or Pinterest or even seeing holiday ads, perfect versions of Christmas are everywhere during the fall and winter months.
Pinterest ideas are nice to look at and definitely can be an inspiration for your own holiday decorating, cooking, and gift giving. But there’s a hidden danger in these perfect depictions of Christmas that you should be aware of.
{ Guest Post by Holly }
The key word is “perfect”.
When you’re looking at these wonderful holiday photos that are completely staged, there’s a real danger that you start to expect your own family Christmas to have the same look and feel.
That’s about as realistic as wanting the perfect photoshopped body that the swimsuit model on Sports Illustrated has. It’s just not going to happen.
Life gets in the way.
Wishing your Christmas looked like your Pinterest boards will only lead to disappointment and a feeling of inadequacy.
Even though we may intellectually understand that we shouldn’t expect the perfect holiday display when we have young children and pets, we may still subconsciously want it after seeing these perfect holiday visions everywhere.
Since we can’t realistically have a perfectly decorated (or even a clean) home, or a color-coordinated tree with designer ornaments, we end up feeling disappointed when we look at the macaroni ornaments on our tree.
We miss out on a lot of what makes Christmas so special when we fall into that trap.
It isn’t about perfection, gourmet food, and color coordinated ornaments. It’s about sharing a special time of the year with our loved ones.
It’s about sharing memories and making new ones.
It’s about baking cookies, giving gifts, singing Christmas songs, hanging lights, sipping hot chocolate, and make more of those beautiful handmade ornaments with the kids.
It’s about being a messy, loud, and happy family enjoying Christmas together.
Don’t let this idea of perfection take the joy of the holidays out of you.
Go bake some cookies and make a big mess.
Make some winter crafts with your kids.
Hang those construction paper ornaments with pride.
Get out all the kitschy little decorations that remind you of your childhood.
Crank up those holiday’ tunes and then nestle up in the couch with some hot chocolate and sugar cookies to watch “The Year without a Santa Claus”.
Who cares that there are crumbs in the blanket and one of the lights on your tree is out.
What counts is that you’re having a good time.
This year, instead of perfection, embrace coziness, happiness, and love.
Merry Christmas!
MelC says
Very good point! In past years I’ve strived for the designer perfect magazine worthy decor, to be honest I love and very much enjoy wrapping gifts & stringing lights. This year will be different because [ba ba du ba!] our little girl will be here (first time mama here) and probably around a month old for her first Christmas! So we may put a little table top tree up to display her 1st ornament her nana got her.. just thinking practically I’m sure I’ll be busy trying to get down breastfeeding and diaper changes to worry about the nutcrackers, candy canes & Rudolph to set up in the front yard — as long as my little gift from God is happy & healthy I can’t imagine a merrier Christmas!?
Niki at Toot's Mom is Tired says
The first Christmas with a baby is amazing! Even though she won’t remember it, it’ll be so amazing.