Trying not to get my grinch on.

 

I have a confession to make.

 Sometimes during the festive Christmas period I don't feel exactly festive and I just want all the tinsel, all the presents, all the happy shining faces to go the hell away!

I feel so horrible even writing this because as the matriarch of my little family ( you know "the -getting- everything- done person") I'm meant to be baking up a delicious storm of biscuits and cakes, shopping for tasteful and thoughtful gifts for everyone including Joe Blow and his Great Aunt Gladys. I'm meant to sprinkle good cheer and goodwill around like fairy dust. My house is meant to look this this.

I found this on Christmas Decor Online and wonder if the people who live here can adopt me.

 

 And I'm meant to do all this whilst look like a kindly but still attractive Christmas goddess. Aren't I?

I'm sure I'm meant to be doing so much but I usually feel like I've come up short.

I have realised that I am not a terrible person, bitter and twisted, I just suffer from Yuletide fatigue.

It is a horrific condition that seems to afflict me every year at this time.

You see I have been soooooo busy at work. Like, crazy busy - dreaming about work- shopping for work - staying up late for work - consumed by work. Yep, just a normal Christmas for a diversional therapist  in aged care. Most years I get myself so burnt out over Christmas . I have turned up my good cheer meter (which usually sits on an upbeat 8) to  a mind melting 1100 on the cheerful scale and for all of November and December ensured that all of my residents are feeling the holiday happies. I feel that I am lucky to be travelling with them on the last leg of their life journey and am always aware that this Christmas could be their last. I want to make each moment special, each celebration meaningful. So I try really, really, really hard to convert all the grinches and the scrooges and make Christmas bloody fantastic. Which is often really hard work and usually leaves me so sick of Christmas and so over it all.

My poor family!

But this year, my kids have been so excited, so in the Christmas spirit that I have been infected by their energy and cheer. They have spread the Xmas bug to me. We have been watching "Elf", making Xmas goodies and I even had carols playing so Ruby and I could dance.

 

This is Coopers Christmas,  ummm, "thing". Lets call it a Christmas creature.

 

Fancy headwear is always a necessity at Christmas.

 

Unfortunately these pudding truffles tasted really great and I had to eat a lot of them. Then I had to make more. And then I had to eat them aswell. The things you do at Christmas!

 

 

 I haven't been infected to an unhealthy level yet - I'm not wearing knitted reindeer jumpers or mainlining egg-nog so that's OK.

Hopefully my enthusiasm continues to Christmas. It's looking good and I think it might even be possible to do the last of my Christmas shopping and preparations without wanting to stab someone in the neck with a candy cane.

How do you handle the mayhem of Christmas?

I'd love to know your ideas on how to survive, and dare I say it, enjoy Christmas!