The Christmas Rush is Over

Every year I tell myself that Christmas should not be so stressful and that next year will be better.  But the next year comes along and the stress starts building.  This year, I decided that shopping was not going to be one of those stresses.  So I did a lot of my shopping online this year.  I didn't have to take time off work to go spend a whole day or more looking for the perfect gifts.  Besides, the perfect gift does not come wrapped in a gift under the tree.  The perfect gift, for me, would be to relax with my family and enjoy the time together. No stress, no expectations of the perfect holiday, Just a special time to get together and make nice memories.

As a family, we changed our usual schedule and places for the Holiday festivities.  It was a nice mix of old traditions and new traditions.  

The stress comes when I try to take on to much work for others. After all, I am an artist, who works at this for a living. So I should be able to take it on.  I can work hard and long hours.  But the reality is, my time is limited before Christmas.  Custom orders cannot be late for Christmas.  Scheduling some projects before others because of shipping issues, drying or firing times, and just the fact that many of the things that I create take A LOT of time.  So, even though it comes with the job, it is stressful because I want to make everyone happy and I find it difficult to be limited by time.   

But after all the food was cooked and eaten, the packages were unwrapped, the Post Christmas illness settled in.  This year it took the form of a bad head cold.  As I type this, I am sitting on the couch, in my new pjs, that my sister gave me, with my pillow and blanket and tissues and medicine, wishing I felt better, so I could enjoy being home.  But this head cold that I got for Christmas is not allowing me to enjoy the time to relax.  Seems like many people have also gotten a cold this Christmas, as well.  I have to wonder if it is the stress that helps to bring on the Post Christmas illness...the dreaded cold.   I run myself into the ground trying to make everyone happy and try to make everything perfect...which is impossible...

...Which gives me my goal for next year....SIMPLIFY. 

So now I have to figure out how I can do that for 2014...and still make a living with my art! 

Until then...Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays! 

Beth♥