I’m observing Lent early … or is it late?

November 30, 2007 – 12:15 pm |

I think I am having what another blogger once characterized as a ‘bloxistential crisis’. To blog or not to blog? And what about? And why? And where? And all the other journalistic ‘w’ questions. I won’t bore you with the details of my personal philosophical ponderings.

In other news, I am a sappy sentimentalist about all things holiday. I love it: the smell of pine and the lights and the food and the decorations and even the extra church services. Growing up, I always felt safe and warm and loved and blessed sitting by the tree, listening to Elvis Christmas records, drinking hot chocolate. I loved Christmas and found the holiday season magical.

As a mother of three I have learned there is no ‘magic’ involved. The presents and the lights and the food don’t just appear the day after Thanksgiving. We can’t just click a button on our desktop and change the world’s backdrop to “holiday.”

No, magical holidays require labor. Moms work hard in December. But it’s a labor of love, and one I refuse to allow to cause me stress. I refuse to relinquish my holiday joy to the race and the demands of spend and shop. But creating a season, preserving personal peace, and leaving some time for me to sit down by the tree with Elvis, my hot chocolate, and my book, does require strategy, planning and forethought.

Last year, with some success, I took a hiatus from blogging. I stepped back for the month of December. I concentrated on my family and on the holidays, and I reflected on my own goals, bloggy and otherwise. As it happens, 2007 was a pretty good year, so I’ve decided to do the same again.

This year, I am expanding the break to include personal internet time. Lately I have been spending a lot of time reading blogs, trying to be witty on my Facebook page, losing games of Scrabulous. In theory, taking some time off in cyberspace will free up some quality time in real space for holiday joy and year end self-reflection.

Come back in January to find out how it turns out - whether I have the willpower to stay free of Facebook, away from ALOTT5MA, minus MommyTracks for a whole month - and to see if I can answer that all-important question - what is the meaning of my blogging life?

In the meantime, feel free to use the comments to discuss how you stay stress-free in the holidays.

Peace and Joy and many thanks for spending some of your time in 2007 reading my ramblings.