Today's Writing Woman: holiday

I've never been one to do anything half way, especially around the holidays. In fact, most would say I tend to go overboard. When pressed...I would have to say they are correct. I do go overboard...with just about EVERYTHING!

Whenever I start a project or get involved in something that is important to me, I tend to go big. What's that expression..."Go big or go home." That fits me to the tee! I really can't do anything "just a lttle bit."

Let's see...Secret Santa to the neighborhood ladies and children. One year I did the 12 Days of Christmas. What was I thinking! Getting up at 2:00am to deliver presents to my 4 neighbors...in the freezing cold. I'm sure I was a sight to behold...messed up hair, no makeup, wearing my pj's, tennis shoes and blue bathrobe.

Don't forget my obsession with cookie baking at the holidays either. I have been known to stay up all night and bake those darn things until the cows come home. I love to bake, but staying up all night, what is wrong with me?!! Does anyone want to do a cookie swap this year instead?

Oh...here's a good one. Last year, one of the local radio stations was spearheading a turkey drive at one of the homeless shelters in our area. They were trying to gather as many turkeys and other canned foods as possible in order to feed 5000 people for Thanksgiving. I won't tell you how many turkeys I bought. Suffice it to say that I bought one for at least every year we have lived here (10) and had not bought a turkey for the homeless. (I did this because I believe in karma. Shortly after this, I got a new job. Oooh...another topic to write about in a future post.)

Then there is my obsession with "stuff". I have to have more than one of everything. Christmas cards and stationery, wooden spoons, candles, soaps of all kinds, toilet paper and wipes, makeup, socks and other lingerie items, towels, packaging materials for food gifts/wrapping/shipping...are you getting the picture here?!! I cannot stand to run out of anything and not have a backup for it. I think this stems from my lack of time to go shopping or to do the laundry, which comes from my spending too much time on work and not enough time on the other things in my life, especially during the Holidays.

Photo by Andrejs Pidjass/www.photoexpress.com

Then there is the volunteering and helping out with everything, the donations to the various other charities, and the holiday meal cooking...oh WAIT! I don't cook. Whew! Thank goodness I don't cook...I have the hubs for that. If I had to, I'd probably hang myself. Then there is the christmas cards, and the Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas decorating around the house, and the holiday movie watching, and putting up the Christmas lights outside and the...and the...and the...EHOUGH!

By the way, the photo to the left here...that's me during the holidays (expect I am not a tall, beautiful and blond...but the whole pulling out the hair and stressed out look, that's definitely me.)

This whole "going overboard" stuff is really overated.

I want peace, quiet, calmness and serenity. Today it's all about balance...in all aspects of my life. I will probably still decorate, bake, send out the holiday cards and give gifts. The volunteering will be limited and I'll spend more time with my husband. I want to sit back, relax and watch a few holiday movies and enjoy the good food my husband will make just for me.

On Strike For Christmas with Daphne Zuniga and David Sutcliffe

Just for fun, I highly recommend watching the movie, On Strike For Christmas. I saw it last year on Lifetime TV and it's absolutely hilarious. It's highly fitting to my personality and the holidays. I liked it so much, I recently ordered it from Amazon.com and am currently watching it while I write this post.

I really love this time of year...ahhh...I feel it...my balance is just about here, but not before I bake some cookies.

***I have written this piece for a group on Facebook that I joined, GBE 2: Blog On. This is week #20 and the topic is Balance. Interested in more...click on the picture below to take you there.

For many of us, the 4th of July Holiday Weekend means an extra day off from work. But what are we really celebrating anyway? Most would probably say they are celebrating the opportunity to get together with family and friends (not for me...most of my family and friends live over 3000 miles away.) Others might say it's an opportunity to take a vacation (not for me either...still fairly new in my job and don't have any vacation time built up, plus...well, I can't talk about that just yet.)

Truthfully, the 4th of July should be about celebrating our nation's independence from Great Britain. Independence Day, or Fourth of July, is a holiday where Americans remember the very important day when we adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. 235 years ago, this piece of paper was signed to give us our freedom.

Freedom...something to think about during these turbulent times around the world. So while we are sitting around this weekend with our family and friends, watching the parades and fireworks, eating BBQ and enjoying an extra day off from work, let us all remember the real reason why we celebrate this day.

We celebrate our freedom.