Everyone posts on Facebook each day during the month of November, something that he/she is thankful for. I’ve never participated in this newer online tradition, however I’ve definitely had some personal enjoyment reading the posts of others. This 1-7 day recap was my favorite so far:
1. I am thankful that my truck drove faster than 25 mph today… After I paid 600 dollars to get it repaired
2. Thankful for tractor trailers that wreck on 81… We all need sometime to sit and think about our Christmas lists…
3. Thankful I don’t know what my PR is for deadlifts, clean & press and the dreaded snatch.
4. Thankful for all the Halloween candy I sneak out of my kids buckets
5. Thankful I have no idea what a pivot table is
6. Thankful for foam rollers and lacrosse balls
7. Thankful that I have enough to do that I don’t have to play candy crush or FarmVille….
I’m thankful for squat racks, bench press, and bumper plates.Foam rollers, chalk, and grip tape.OLY shoes, Lululemon, and headbands.Empty gyms, loud music, and PRs.Handstands, Burpees, and box jumps.I change my mind, I don’t like box jumps.Pre-workout, Recovery, and Aminos.Bootcamp, Parks and Rec, Kettlebells.Caffeine, caffeine, and caffeine…
And we won’t even be home for the holidays! We’ll be spending Thanksgiving and Christmas traveling. We have Erik’s family to see, my family to see, grandparents, aunts, sisters, brothers…I’m talking a whole lot of traveling over the course of the next month. When I mentioned decorating for Christmas this year, Erik said, “Why don’t we just NOT decorate?”
I thought that suggestion was absurd. I LIVE for the day I can put my Christmas tree up. I LOVE my Christmas tree. I’ve argued with Erik on keeping it up year round–I love it that much.
But the more I think about it, is he right? With a messy house and a busy life, is it even worth the extra time and hassle? Would I even be home enough to appreciate it? Lulu, the cat, will try to climb it and knock the ornaments down. Atty, the dog, will chew the ornaments. Laila, the other dog, will chase Lulu out of the tree. The mess ensues…and I’m not sure if I love that or hate it.
And my Christmas baking. I’m sorta famous in my family for doing THE Christmas baking. I started the tradition in my “fat days” but since my family enjoys it so much, I’ve continued. That means on the ONLY weekend I’m not out of town this December, I’ll be spending it making hundreds of dollars worth of peanut butter balls, fudge, chocolate covered pretzels, cookies, candies, cupcakes, cakes, etc. And you KNOW I’m going to be eating half of it and then gaining that stupid holiday weight.
One side of me is saying, “Put up your damn tree, play your Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and bake some freakin’ cookies!” It’s Christmas–it’s only once a year!!!
There’s another side of me that’s saying “You don’t have kids, you aren’t going to be home anyway, you don’t need fatty chocolate, just make some healthy paleo treats and don’t stress out about it this year.”
And then there’s one more factor. Ever since my dad died three years ago, right before the holidays, obviously the holidays have never been the same for me. You know when you see those Old Navy commercials with the perfect families who are all decked out for the holidays? I feel like that used to be us. Of course you never realize that til it’s gone. (Isn’t that some song now? I’ve heard it 10 times in the past two days for the record. Nothing like guilt from the radio to haunt your upcoming holiday.) But I hate Christmas commercials because they remind me of the family we used to be but never will be again. And in a weird way, I still love the commercials because it brings back a feeling of warmth, like an old memory that makes me smile.
Dad and I had so many holiday traditions that we shared. We LOVED to eat so Thanksgiving was GREAT! We would always sneak pieces of turkey before we were allowed, we always scoped out the best desserts together, and no matter where we were celebrating that year, we always sat together. He was always the last one up at Christmas and no one could open presents til he had his coffee.
God that is so me right now.
And even as an adult, my dad was always the first person I couldn’t wait to see on the holidays. I even took him once to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. He said it was the best concert he had ever been to. And now he’s gone and I hate the holidays, and my favorite band makes me cry.
But I’m so much like him–a holiday lover–that as much as I want to hate the season, he somehow won’t let me, and I still feel like that same 10-year-old kid excited for the food and fun. He told me that when I was little, I used to wake him and mom up every hour, on the hour, starting at 1am to ask if we could “open just one present,” because I could not wait til morning.
My head is in a battle with my heart.
So who wins? I don’t know what to do. I want your honest opinion: do I continue all I’ve ever done and decorate, bake, celebrate, and try to forget that I’m also incredibly sad?
Or do I just make life simple. Make a couple healthy treats, travel as planned, and try not to stress out about everything?
What do you think I should do?
- Day 1: squat racks and pull-up rigs
- Day 2: coffee and water
- Day 3: training logs and fitness apps
- Day 4: foam rollers and foam rollers!
- Day 5: weight belts and wrist wraps
- Day 6: bumper plates and barbells
- Day 7: bench pressing and deadlifting
- Day 8: “Super friends” and coaches
- Day 9: mobility and flexibility
- Day 10: protein and recovery
- Day 11: physical therapists and chiropractors
- Day 12: massage sticks and lacrosse balls
- Day 13: caffeine and pre-workout supplements
- Day 14: Instagram pictures and slow-mo video playback
- Day 15: bodybuilding and powerlifting
- Day 16: clean food and paleo treats
- Day 17: motivation and inspiration
- Day 18: kettlebells and medicine balls
- Day 19: Olympic lifting and crossfitting
- Day 20: rings and ropes
- Day 21: grip tape and chalk
- Day 22: Lululemon and Nike; headbands and accessories
- Day 23: Pandora and loud music
- Day 24: Epsom salt and vitamin E cream
- Day 25: OLY shoes and nanos
- Day 26: writing posts and snapping pics
- Day 27: Happy Birthday Erik!!! Â Family and friends–all loved ones!
- Day 28: HEALTHY LIVING!
- Day 29: Erik. It’s sappy and he’ll hate me for posting this, but I wouldn’t be where I am without him. He introduced me to lifting, crossfit, nutrition; he learned how to design websites so that I could do what I love, and he has supported me enough to completely change my career. I don’t think I’d be right here, right now, doing what I love without him. Sorry it’s sappy, but it really is true.
- Day 30: My family, and for getting to grow up with the best dad on the planet.
Don’t forget, I wrote this post so I could get YOUR feedback. Should I decorate? Bake? Do everything as normal? Or who’s with Erik on saying keep life a little bit more stress-free?? Tell me soon…I think tomorrow might be my only chance to get the tree up….
UPDATE!!!Â
Love love love!!! Bake and decorate… Just find someone to clean up after. Haha
Hahaha Jenny! I think if the mess in my house was under control, I’d probably agree with you.
Less stress is best.
But it would feel so weird to not have a tree. I’m really torn on the tree thing.
I say follow your heart. Maybe this is just what you need to side track your mind, and maybe just maybe some of that joy that you remember will return. Just let go and let what ever happens happen because I believe that everything happens for a distinct reason.
I like that a lot. 🙂
I think you should put your tree up and maybe scale back on other decorations. Bake, but not as much. Don’t let your busy life steal away your love for Christmas! It only comes once a year! I must also add, just because you said you aren’t sappy, I LOVE YOU FRIEND! 🙂
hahahaha Tracey! I love you too 😉 you have a great idea…I’ve actually been thinking of doing exactly that.
I think you should put up the tree- and do a few decorations. But then bake some paleo treats and avoid the stress of calorie/sugar loaded holiday sweets!!! Make this year be about family and friends- not food and decorations!!!
P.S.
You’re amazing and definetly made my “thankful list”. Please don’t be sad steph!!!
Thanks Reagan!! (Aka Super friend!!) <3
Find a way to scale it back a little, so it’s less stressful… go for simple and meaningful. Maybe a smaller tree with far fewer decorations and only a strand of lights… or bake 100 balls but not 1000… or just bake paleo treats instead! The worst thing is to go through the holidays feeling stressed and resentful, so just find those scaled down traditions that have true meaning for YOU and do those that will make your season joyful! See you on Thursday!! 🙂
Thanks Kim! I think I’m going to do just that–scale back. I will admit though, I am ecstatic to make sweet potato casserole and eat stuffing!!!!! See you soon!!
I had this battle with myself a few years ago with all the overwhelming stress of the holidays, and had decided to throw in the towel. My mother bought me a small tree to decorate and I use it every year now! It’s the perfect size, and I don’t have to stress about where to put it or moving all of the furniture to make it fit. I still bake lots of yummy teats to give to my family an friends, but only what I have time for! And, when it comes to buying gifts…I only stress about the young ones on my list! Don’t forget that when you decorate and bake, it’s more important that you enjoy doing it, and can enjo the holidays without feeling overwhelmed and stressed. Your sadness in missing your loved ones during this time is part of greivig and won’t go away if you ignore the holiday… Use your emotions to help remember the great memories that you have of your father. Work hard makig new memories with those that are still here!! Merry Chrismas!!!
This is exactly what I needed to hear! You guys are making more and more excited to celebrate! I think the small tree might be a winner. I hope kohls has one–I think I’m gonna do some shopping today!
I have a friend who hires a cleaning person three times a year. A couple days before Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. She always says that is her way to take the stress out of the holiday season. After all, like you said, you do the decorating and the baking and the music because you love it and it makes you happy. Once you are doing it for obligation you are missing the whole point. Just do what you can and what makes you happy and once you get stressed then walk away. I love my big brother, he is the best, but he can be a total scrooge so don’t let him influence you! I really hope you do enjoy the time you spend with our family and that we are able to remind you of the happy times.
PS I love TSBO!!!
Shari–I love that idea about a cleaning person 3 times a year! How perfect!! And u can’t express how much it means to me to be a part of your family’s holidays. Being with you guys is fun, relaxing, stress free, and is so much like what it used to be when I was a kid and life wasn’t so complicated. I honestly love it 🙂
Ok since apparently I am being mistaken for a scrooge, I need to defend myself. I love Christmas. I think it is absolutely awesome. But to me Christmas has become stressful due to the way our society has materialized it. Reagan put it perfectly in an earlier comment. Christmas should be about friends and family. And if you are a Christian then it should also be about your faith and finding peace and happiness in your world. People think I am a scrooge but it is not because I don’t like Christmas, it is because I do not like the stresses of Christmas. American society has constructed this idea that unless you put thousands of lights outside your house, decorate 4 trees in various themes, spend a month’s salary on presents, and bake for hours upon hours then you are a scrooge. Well sorry but isn’t it that stuff that is making this a stressful holiday? Couple that with the fact EVERYONE is doing this — so while you are out there trying to “not be a scrooge” you are battling with thousands and thousands of other people who are “showing their Christmas spirit.” I am by no means a biblical expert, but I am pretty sure nothing about this day is supposed to involve fighting traffic, searching for parking spaces, and losing sleep over what we HAVE to do and HAVE to buy and HAVE to decorate. So when I tell Steph she doesn’t have to do any of that, I am not being a scrooge, I am just suggesting this is not what Christmas needs to be. I agree with all of you that said to minimize the decorations and minimize the baking. I would add to that — minimize the shopping. And I bet if we all did that it would minimize the stress and MAXIMIZE the true intention of what Christmas should be.
You guys have all been so helpful and inspiring. I just went to kohls and bought a small 4 ft tree and then an even smaller 2 ft tree for downstairs. That with the ornaments I already have, the outdoor trees that are super easy to set up, and a couple pre-lit snowmen, I’m hoping to have everything I need and set up rather quickly. As far as baking, I think I’m going to make some goodies–my newest fave chocolate “paleo” balls, and some other fun goodies when I have the chance. I just won’t go overboard like normal–at least not try to–I think I only have one weekend for baking!
I say you bypass all the stress and just buy everyone on your Christmas list, 100 Hours of Kettlebells. Everyone is always trying to get fit for the New Year and lord knows we will all eat way too much over the holidays. What better way to start off 2014?