I know. Resolutions are supposed to be made on New Year’s Day. But that is the day that I breathe a sigh of relief because the holidays are finally over. Forget making resolutions.

Maybe if I start making resolutions about Christmas, I will be less stressed. And that means I will not have to heave such a huge sigh on New Year’s Day. So, here it goes:

1. I will not let my fear of spiders prevent me from decorating my home. There. I said it. I do not decorate my home mainly because I am afraid that there are spiders lurking in the boxes of decorations. This year, I will either purchase a can of arachnicide, have my Dyson Ball hose attachment at the ready, or make my husband unpack all of the boxes. Or all three.
2. I will not complain about having to listen to Christmas music from November 1 to January 2. I will instead be grateful that I do not work outside the home. If I did, I would be forced to listen for eight hours a day. This year, I will pull out my old Happy Christmas albums and let my children listen to a moderate amount of punk rock carols. We will also keep our tradition of going to the “organ church” to hear the Advent concert series.
3. I will not envy twelve-foot perfectly decorated Christmas trees that I see on display. I wish I had a small fortune to invest in something to be packed in boxes 92% of the year, but I have four sons under age seven and an average-sized house. How long would a tree like that last in my house? I shall content myself with a tree slightly taller than my five-foot-three stature, two strings of lights, and four happy little boys hanging all the ornaments on the bottom third of the tree.
4. I will use the Advent tree faithfully. My mother bequeathed to me the Advent wall hanging that we constructed out of felt when I was young. Each day, there is a Scripture reading, hymn, and devotion to correspond with an ornament bearing a symbol of the Christmas story. Really, if we accomplish nothing else this holiday season, we will have covered the most important things with the Advent tree.
5. I will spread my food shopping out over several weeks so that we do not go bankrupt going to the grocery store. I know I am spending the same amount either way. It just seems like less money when it is doled out ten dollars at a time over several weeks rather than $150.00 all at once.
6. I will try to strike a balance between keeping routines and enjoying the moment. Every year, I struggle with keeping the house orderly and making everyone else miserable because I cannot sit down and relax. This year, I will keep to the bare minimum routines and let the rest go.
7. I will not let a small gift budget make me feel like a bad parent. I love my boys so much, and there are so many gifts that I would like to see them open. However, God has seen fit to restrict our budget for us. I will be grateful that my sons are in no danger of being spoiled.
8. I will not let myself become stressed. So what if the holiday is not perfect? Do other people even share my idea of perfection? As long as we are all getting along, sharing laughter, and making memories, it will be a merry Christmas.

There you have it. These are my Christmas resolutions. And I only have to keep them for two months instead of a whole year.