Every article I see lately is about how it is the job of the mom to make Christmas magical for her kids.

You know what I have to say about that nonsense? RUDE.

Disclaimer: I am not trying to sound like a Scrooge here, but why does Christmas have to include so much pressure? Can’t we just enjoy it? I don’t think when Baby Jesus was born that Mary surprised him with a brand new donkey and an Elf on the Shelf. I think she snuggled her sweet baby and hung out with Joseph and the Three Wise Men.

Is getting gifts from a fat man in red suit that slides down your chimney in the middle of night not magical enough? He has FLYING REINDEER!! That’s about as magical as it gets.

Is an elf named Groot that moves EVERY SINGLE NIGHT for almost a month not magical enough?

Is the tree that is put up the day after Thanksgiving with a ridiculous amount of lights and 75 shatterproof ornaments not magical enough?

I am sorry, but what the hell do you people expect of us moms? Do you think that we don’t already have enough on our plates?

I work full time, take care of both of my kids, pay the bills, make sure our house doesn’t burn down to the ground and spend every weekend doing approximately seventy loads of laundry. And I write this blog in all my free time.

I am just rebounding from Thanksgiving. Don’t make me feel guilty for not adding additional magic to my children’s lives. I think it’s pretty nice that my husband and I have provided them with a warm home, food to eat, clothes to wear and a Paw Patrol comforter from Target.

Plus, extra magic normally means extra money and I stress about that enough as it is.

So no, I will not be making gingerbread houses with my one and four-year old this weekend. That would be fun for approximately three minutes before both children and possibly me are crying, the dog is covered in icing and we just decide to eat the gingerbread walls as a snack.

No, I will not be taking my children to meet Santa unless he just so happens to appear at one of the Christmas parties we attend. And why is that? Because a grown man dressed like Santa is scary. I have never liked people dressed in costumes and by the look on Henry’s face in this picture, he isn’t a big fan either.

Don’t even get me started on the Easter Bunny. BUNNIES AREN’T THAT BIG AND THEY DON’T LAY EGGS!

Christmas is stressful for moms, people. Why don’t you realize that? We already have to pick out presents we pray our children love and hide them in our house where the kids won’t find them and somehow manage to wrap them and get them under the tree while they hopefully sleep.

Don’t add gingerbread villages and Christmas Caroling and Magical Elves fighting Superheroes and those construction paper chains to the list!

Yes, I am sure some families absolutely love doing these things and it is a tradition for them and that is amazing that the mom in that family can handle anxiety better than I can.

But I don’t want to do all that.

I want to put up my Christmas Tree, keep the bar low for the stupid elf by simply placing it in a different vase every night, and give my kid a few presents on Christmas morning. Then I want to force them to snuggle with me on the couch and take a picture with each other.

That’s all. That’s all I want.

So this is me telling other moms it’s okay to not make Christmas “magical” for your kids this year. You already keep them alive and that is worth celebrating. That is magical in my eyes.

So you do Christmas how you want to do Christmas. Don’t worry about making sure every day for the next month is “magical”. Because that is exhausting. And a stressed out, exhausted mom isn’t good for the kids.

So go take a nap! Buy the Christmas Cookies from Kroger! Stick the Elf on an ACTUAL SHELF! And spend some time simply enjoying your family.

Until Next Time,

Jamie