Opting out of Christmas and going to Hawaii instead!

 

So this is just one of hundreds of amazing pictures we took while we were in Hawaii -- for almost  a month, which is just not long enough, no matter how that sounds!  This is how far we were from the beach in Maui.  Heaven.

But back to Christmas, because it had such little impact on us all, that I really think it must be dissected a bit!  Now of course, we didn't forego presents and all of the fanfare with nothing in its place.  No, we traveled 6,000 miles away and traded snow and Christmas trees for sunshine and beaches.  I'd do it again, and again, and again!  

Every year I start my Christmas shopping early in order to do it all online and avoid having to pay shipping charges to get it on time.  I am generally done with it about two weeks before Christmas, and then go into planning menus and the like.  The house is decorated by mid-Christmas in time for the book club Christmas party I traditionally have ... which is another big chunk of planning and plotting.  I didn't have to do any of that.

It was lovely.

The one thing I highly dislike about Christmas is the feeling/need to buy presents that no one really needs.  My kids have a LOT ... and trying to get them things that are meaningful and useful is no easy task.  I hate buying things that will never get used, and the other thing is that while I am shopping I tend to buy things for myself as well!  (Not that I didn't do that for this trip!)

When we decided to go to Hawaii over the holidays, I envisioned doing stockings and somehow making that work (I could barely shut my suitcase as it was) but then we all kind of agreed that we would do nothing.  Peter was the one that felt we should do SOMETHING.  And we did!  We had mimosas for breakfast and we toasted to Christmas.  Merry Christmas.  And then we went to the beach.

It was lovely.

And I never want to do Christmas the way we've done it the past 27-plus years again!  It is just a day, and to completely get rid of the stress of making that one day matter is amazing.  It is liberating and exhilarating all at the same time!  I don't care if everyone wants to buy one present for each other, or I don't care if we eat chinese food or pizza, in fact, what I do care about is not taking that on, solely, myself, ever again!  The biggest Christmas present you can give yourself is to ... opt out of Christmas!  And if we do happen to stay here (I am now a HUGE advocate of get the hell out of dodge for Christmas!) I will happily decorate the house, because I truly enjoy that ... but you know, that's about it.  I am not battling the grocery stores days before to get the perfect roast ... or making sure each kid has the exact same amount of presents ... I'm just not.  I have been liberated from Christmas past ... and it should be what it was while we were in Hawaii.  A few mimosas, lounging around all morning, and then off to do something fun!  Hanging with family should be present enough.

Aloha.