I remember all the fun the holidays were when I was a kid.

Baking cookies, shopping, decorating the house.

It all seemed so fun and magical.

I think the magic was my mother working her a** off

while I blindly meandered through December with

visions of sugarplums, christmas carols and santa hats.

The holidays have turned into a festive nightmare.

I have moments where I can't fathom being able to

accomplish my entire list of to do's.

This is finals week at school for my daughter. So any help with baking

is limited. My sister just called that she is at the ER

waiting to see if she has to have an emergency appendectomy.


My daughter is in the local newspaper today being honored as scholar

of the week. She has been accepted to university and has a huge

academic scholarship award. She also has 3 additional essays to write for more

scholarship applications, plus a ton of extra credit assignments to do to.

We also have a few friends dropping by for visits sprinkled into all

the craziness. Trying to keep the house presentable at all times, while

juggling all these other things is getting to me.

I did clean up the pile of crap in my office and manage to write up a

few Christmas cards. I haven't finished them, so they are not mailed.

I have never been this late mailing them out. I hope they arrive before

Christmas is over.

Are you having holiday stress? Did our Mom's go through all this crap

and just make it look effortless? Was I really THAT self centered that I

never noticed my mom frazzled, with sore feet and in a state of exhaustion?

So my one and only reader...........

Are you stressed out with too many things to accomplish before the 24th?

Do you think our mom's had the same stress? Or were things simpler then?