Stop trying to please everyone.
That’s one of the most freeing truths, but the hardest for us moms to wrap our minds around sometimes.
But you can’t keep everyone happy.
It’s not your responsibility. I mean it.
A lot of us have magical Christmas memories, don’t we?
And we want to give our families the same thing?
That’s OK!
But everyone won’t be happy all the time, and that is also OK.
If we try to make sure no one is sad or disappointed ever, we’ll run ourselves ragged trying to do the impossible.
We’ll be let down every stinkin time.
So stop the madness.
Tell your family (or even just yourself), “I want Christmas to be a fun and special time for all of us, but I know I can’t please everyone all the time. I can’t. So I hope you’ll find joy in Christmas even if it’s not exactly what you hoped for.”
Take a deep breath.
There.
You can do this.
You can let go of your need to be the happiness-elf, the fixer, the magic-maker.
Because you aren’t any of those things anyway.
You’re a person who loves your family and hopes to bring them joy.
And that’s enough.
In your opinion, why do we feel we have to keep everyone happy at Christmas? How has this added stress to your season?
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Stephanie Lynn Stevens 