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The best Christmas ever

Somehow, as of Dec. 29, our family has managed to make it through the Christmas season without a sniffly nose, hardly a cough, and no stomach flus. The gifts have been unwrapped, and enjoyed, and overall it’s been a great holiday.

Somehow, as of Dec. 29, our family has managed to make it through the Christmas season without a sniffly nose, hardly a cough, and no stomach flus. The gifts have been unwrapped, and enjoyed, and overall it’s been a great holiday.

I’ve heard both of my kids gleefully exclaim that it was the best Christmas ever, and that got me thinking. What did I do different this year? And how can I keep up my streak of the best Christmas ever? Or maybe it’s the fact that I didn’t aim for it to be the “best Christmas ever” that made it so?

One of the biggest differences I’ve noticed is that I felt much more organized this year with Christmas. I got the bulk of my shopping done early, and stuck to a budget. And when I wanted to go over budget, my husband was nearby reminding me that it wasn’t necessary.

Tying up the lose ends and wrapping gifts took maybe a few hours total, spread over two days while the kids were still in school. I found myself with a few quiet nights at home as Christmas got closer, and I made a strict deal with myself to actually take time away from work when Christmas did arrive.

So, when Christmas Eve came, it was another somewhat lazy day. We kept things simple, ate more than we should have, and opened just enough gifts to appreciate what we have.

There were no “what else do I get?” questions asked. Instead, our oldest son was maybe a little overly emotional, with a few tears in his eyes as he opened his gifts, and thanked us countless times. He then did proclaim it to be the best Christmas ever.

Our youngest is a bit more unpredictable. Sometimes, after the gift opening ends, he will look around and wonder what else he can get his hands on. But this year he simply moved on from the gifts to the visiting, and giggled the night away.

While he didn’t proclaim it at that time to be the best Christmas ever, it only took a day spent with cousins and friends on Boxing Day to bring him to the same conclusion as his brother – and he too agreed that it was the “best Christmas ever.”

Like with a lot of things in life, I believe in balance. We need to balance the true meaning of Christmas, which obviously means different things to different people. For us, that means attending Christmas Eve mass, and my kids know that Christmas is Jesus’ birthday (it also happens to be their grandpa’s birthday, and makes for extra desserts and celebrations).

I also believe that gift giving, over eating, and all the other extras that come along at Christmas are meant to be enjoyed. Somehow, without trying too hard, I think we managed to find a great balance to our holiday season this year – and I guess we even accidently stumbled upon the equation for the best Christmas ever.


Janice Huser

About the Author: Janice Huser

Janice Huser has been with the St. Paul Journal since 2006. She is a graduate of the SAIT print media journalism program, is originally from St. Paul and has a passion for photography.
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