Shushing Away That Powerful Mom Guilt During The Holidays

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2020 has been a year of reflection. Seeing the good, the bad, and the ugly of our world, our community, and ourselves. December is the end of the year and every year, I tried to pack it all in before the New Year’s Countdown because of mom guilt during the holidays.

This year it’s not as packed and it’s okay.

I’m okay with not going to everyone’s holiday events, seeing all of the light shows, all of the gifting parties. I’m okay with not making every single moment of December about the holidays and forgetting what is most important to me: My family time and my sanity.

I was that mom that wanted to do ALL the things.

I am just so thankful that this year, I am shushing away that mom guilt during the holidays and for 2021. Who is with me?

Childhood Memories

I reflected to my childhood and what I remembered most about the holidays. I question, were those simpler times or have we just overcomplicated everything? I remember wrapping all the presents for Christmas Eve while my mom made her fruit cocktail cake. The huge Christmas Eve parties where my dad would call everyone’s names on the gifts out at midnight.

I don’t remember the presents, I remember the moments.

When all of my cousins would sit on our stairs and take a group picture, no matter how squished we were. I miss that and I will never get that back, but I am so happy I have them in my memories.

Becoming the tradition maker

When I became a mom, I was bombarded with all the things to do with my kids and to make memories. I kid you not I freaking did everything. I went to all the holiday events, made multiple versions of gingerbread houses, and saw all the light shows I could. All it did was exhaust me and by January 1st, I was done with anything that said “Happy Holidays” and so was everyone else in my family.

That was my mom guilt during the holidays overwhelming me so that I had to make all the traditions. As a mom, I felt that heavy burden of being the tradition maker, but that is now not the case.

And here we are 2020. We are limited, but this is a blessing in disguise.

My kids keep reminding me what things we are not doing during the holidays, and this is the perfect way to secretly create those traditions that matter to them. That is the old way of doing this and I am doing things a new way.

A new way of letting traditions come naturally like they did before.

I’m sure my parents didn’t stress about all the things I remember growing up during this time, they just did it. They were themselves and did what was most important for them and not the whole world. I am so thankful for them for doing this.

I love this time of year and it was always served with a slice of mom guilt. Well, goodbye mom guilt during the holidays. We have a new mom in town that letting go of all the “things” and letting the holidays work its magic!

Love,

Cheryll

Shushing Away That Powerful Mom Guilt During The Holidays PIN