Things I will not be doing this holiday season

My friend Liz likes to tell me to lower my expectations. It’s something I need to hear more than I like to admit, I’m afraid.

Every holiday season starts out the same – I get excited, the house starts looking like a Christmas factory exploded, the holiday obligations start, I try to do everything, and before I know it I’m pissed and hateful toward the holidays and can’t wait for them to be over.

In an effort to lower my expectations when it comes to the holidays, here’s a list of what I’m giving up this year.

• I’m not looking at the internet for holiday ideas. That means no googling “Christmas cookie recipes” and no pinterest searches for holiday gift wrapping ideas or whatever else I try to look up. I get too many ideas when I’m on the internet and then end up feeling like I want to do everything but have no time.
• No sugar (or gingerbread) cookie cut outs. I suck at decorating them and, besides, I hate sugar cookies anyway.
• I will not decorate my whole house. It doesn’t need to look like a Christmas factory exploded all over it.
• I will not stress about giving the perfect gift. Gift cards are perfectly fine, if not better since the recipient can get exactly what they want in the first place.
• I will not stress about receiving gifts I can’t use. While it’s the thought that counts, I’m under no obligation to keep it in my possession if I can’t use it, can’t find a place for it, or if it’s just something to clutter up my home.
• I will not stress about having the perfect Christmas morning breakfast recipe/tradition… which I didn’t even know was a thing until Pinterest came along.
• I refuse to be upset that I didn’t make enough gifts. Not everyone is knit or handmade gift worthy, anyway.