This is the busiest time of the year, right? So I’m crazy for telling you to stop, breathe, and enjoy the moment. But I’m not. As a matter of fact, even though I have things to do, I felt compelled to sit down and tap this out for you. Because if I don’t tell you, will anyone?

​Last week, I was like you… make lists and checking them twice. Finishing Christmas shopping, wrapping gifts, editing photo sessions, preparing for a vacation with two legs on opposite sides of the country. Forgetting. Forgetting what Christmas is all about. I was being swallowed up by Christmas. I was bickering and I was not spending enough time with my son and my husband. 

And then God, in his infinite wisdom, sent me a sign that said, “SLOW DOWN.” What might that sign be, you ask? Caleb and I both got sick. The most convenient way of slowing down? Definitely not. But it gave me a chance to pause. It gave me a chance to think about what I was giving importance to this season. And I wasn’t giving importance to the right things. 

But getting sick made me stop. It made me spend time with Caleb. Real, quality time that I had been neglecting. As much as it pains me to say it, I had been letting him run amok and then freaking out because I had to pick up after him a thousand times a day and correct his behavior BECAUSE I WASN’T PAYING ATTENTION TO HIM. 

So I napped with him. We sat on the couch and colored together (relax, they were Ultra Washable markers). I watched Frozen with him and we made commentary on the movie together (yes, Frozen fever is currently happening in my house). I sat and ate lunch with him and talked to him through the meal. 

And while he still had a few moments of toddler rambunctiousness (if that’s even a word), overall, his behavior was so much better, even though he was sick. And I realized, I’ve been a terrible mom lately. I’ve been so busy and I allowed the busyness of the season to catch up with me. 

Last night, after nearly coughing up my lung, I decided to take a steamy bath, and while I was sitting in there, I realized that getting sick had been my biggest blessing in disguise this Christmas season. So I prayed, and I gave thanks, and this morning I woke up with a renewed sense of thankfulness and joy. Joy to last me through Christmas and far beyond. Because really, while we pile all these unnecessary things on ourselves, we are forgetting the meaning of Christmas. And whether that meaning for you is the birth of a Savior, or the closeness of family and loved ones, I’m pretty sure it’s not about being busy. And let’s be real – I still have a to-do list. But I’m a lot less stressed about getting it done. Because at the end of the day, it always gets done – because you’re pretty amazing.

So in the next few days, mama, take a break. Enjoy your kids. Make a mess with them. Take a bubble bath. Snuggle up on the couch with your significant other. Watch your favorite Christmas movie – together, without thinking of the 75,000 things on your to-do list. There will be time to check things off your list tomorrow. And if the gifts don’t get wrapped? Tell them Santa ran out of wrapping paper. 😉 

xoxo,