It's beginning to look a lot like...chaos?

The tree is up, the stockings hung, cookies baked, gifts bought and wrapped and under the tree...wait a sec, not in MY house. The tree is up, we have a pile of stockings in the living room chair (why does our family of 3 own 11 stockings?) along with supplies to make 2 wreaths. A couple dozen cookies are made waiting to be decorated. Gifts are bought and hidden in precarious places and I have NO IDEA who I've bought them for and who I still need to buy for. Some have to be shipped across the island, others across the country. I decided 2 months ago that making Christmas cards would be a great idea...they are still in the "making" stage and not near ready to be mailed out.

All the above has culminated in one very stressed-out mommy/wifey. And then to top it off, I may not get the vacation time I requested from work to spend 10 uninterrupted days with my little family.

So, yes, I'm grumpy and frustrated. Yes, I'd like to give management a piece of my mind. Yes, I'd like my husband and child to disappear for a week so I could get organized.

BUT, the reality of my situation is this: I'm so incredibly thankful to have my well paying, usually cushy government job. I'm so incredibly thankful that my son and husband think I'm super-woman and can't live without me. I'm so incredibly thankful that I can express my feelings to friends and family with a gift that I've chosen just for them. I'm even thankful for my messy house, full of stuff, but it's our stuff that we've collected over time and even though I trip over toys and hubby's suitcase is still on our bedroom floor since he came home last weekend...at least he came home and loves me and our son unconditionally.

My to-do list is always never-ending and some days go by that nothing gets crossed off.

For Christmas this year, I want to give my family the gift of my undivided attention and my unconditional love. Just like God intended when He came to earth, born of a woman, to live among men, sinless so He could bear our sins on Calvary. He doesn't expect gifts and cookies and cards celebrating His birth, but our time and love is all He asks. Let's slow down and give our hearts.