Mom holiday anxiety is real! I am someone who suffers from regular anxiety and when my children were born that level of anxiety reached a whole new level. Simple things like driving in the car, having a clean house, and even family gatherings are now giving me anxiety at a whole new level. I fear driving in case something happens, I want to make sure the house is sanitary and toys are cleaned, and I want to make as many family gathering as I can without interfering with nap and bedtime schedules. I feel there is something to always be anxious about. Once the Holidays hit, I feel a heightened sense of holiday anxiety to make sure I do all the things right.
There is a little movie on Disney+ about Holiday traditions with Anna, Elsa, and Olaf. Olaf asks the girls if they had any family holiday traditions growing up. During the show they traveled around to all these different families as they explained their holiday traditions. Anna and Elsa are sad when they realize that they have no memory of any holiday traditions growing up. That really hit me and now I can’t unsee it. I realize that I get this Holiday “momxiety” every year to make sure I can get it all done. Are we doing enough family traditions that my kids will grow up and remember? Am I getting enough that will make them feel like they had a good holiday? What more should I do? Constant questions I am asking myself.
I realize that when I think of Holiday traditions from when I was little it wasn’t what I got each year from Santa. If it was, it was the little things I got like the smackers Chapstick or the life saver candy books. Most of all, I remember going to my aunt’s house every Christmas Eve, the excitement and anticipation of waking up every Christmas morning, and all the time I spent with my family during those times. I think we as moms can lose focus on the family aspect of the Holidays worrying about every little thing and perfecting it. We all work very hard to make these special days so great for our children and just being with them alone will be what they will ever need.
