At the risk of sounding like one of those “crazy people” who think we were put on this earth to be happy (when most definitely we were not – we were put here to glorify God) I am asking all you moms out there to consider that for the next month you are a different kind of CWAHM.

Yeah YOU – you are a CHRISTmas Welcomed Always Happy Mom!

And…what I mean to suggest by that is don’t be a frazzled, I have too much to do, grumpy, no fun to be with during the month of December, oh my gosh there are not enough hours in the day, mom!  You’ve seen her!  (You might be her!)

You greet her with, “Hello, how are you today!”  And then you proceed to get an earful of all the errands she has to do that day, all the gift shopping, the cookie baking, the Christmas card mailing, the wrapping, the party attending, the…blah, blah, blah – obviously…It’s not A Wonderful Life!

Get over it!  CHRISTmas is not about you and your “to do” list ladies!  CHRISTmas is about the greatest gift to the world!  And, if you are a Christian Mom the last thing you should do is get sucked into the busy-ness movement that CHRISTmas has become.

Guess what…the world will not stop spinning on its axel if you don’t wrap your gifts in matching paper and bows.  Your “tablescape” does not have to look like it belongs on the cover of Southern Living Christmas Edition and you do not have to say yes to every party you are invited to!  At least not if it’s going to make you a “mad elf” in the process of getting it done!

Figure out what you can manage and adjust your to do list accordingly.  Sometimes I think we build things up in our own minds of how things “must” be done in order for everyone to be happy and enjoy CHRISTmas!  A-hem…I think a Happy Mommy will go a LONG WAY in assuring a joy-filled CHRISTmas!

Make a list of what “really” matters to you and do those things well, but ask for help and get the family involved.  If baking cookies for the neighbors is on the top of the list, go for it – but realize they don’t have to be done “your way” to be done well.  Trust me, your neighbors would much prefer cookies made with love from your entire family, than cookies that were “perfectly” decorated from just you!

Every year I see more and more people roaming the streets with glazed over eyes and on the tips of their tongues soon to be uttered awaits, Out of My Way not Joy to the World!

Be a positive and joy filled carrier of glad tidings to others you meet – not a martyr mom who is viewing CHRISTmas through her own maddening list of items to attend to.  CHRISTmas Welcomed Always Happy Mom … let’s be that light in the darkness – the purveyor of Jesus’ love, a piece of peace on earth!  Greet others around you with a warm smile, a knowing twinkle in your eye, and a joyful Merry CHRISTmas!

Remember…Every MOMent Counts!

Blessings,

Tracey

Tracey Eyster is the creator and senior editor of MomLife Today and has served with FamilyLife.com as a writer for three years. After becoming a mom, she “retired” from her career in public relations and marketing but continued to serve by volunteering on many committees and boards. She is passionate about momlife, encouraging other moms through speaking and writing, and is in the process of publishing her first book. Tracey is happily married to Bill has two teenagers at home (and several extras always looking for some fun n’ home cookin) and they live the simple life on a small ranch – horses, four wheelers, go carts and dirt bikes included! Always known as the “fun mom”- she embraces that title and challenges other moms to lighten up and make memories because … Every MOMent Counts!  You can find her at www.momlifetoday.com,  www.momlifeoutloud.com , www.blog.familymatters.net follow her on twitter at www.twitter.com/momblog, and hear tips from her on parenting at www.iquestions.com.