The Holidays are OVER.

Ahhhh, now we can all breathe a sigh of relief.  Many of us anticipate the holidays with pure excitement the moment we put down our fork on Thanksgiving.  The Christmas season is a magical time; full of love, laughter, food and... STRESS.  The pressure we put on ourselves to strive for perfection during the holidays is, at times, unbearable.  We worry about buying the perfect gift for our loved ones who seem to have everything.  We fret over the recipes we choose to share with family on Christmas day.  We stress about how we are going to make the time to spend a few moments with everyone on the days surrounding Christmas.  What's a girl to do?

NEWSFLASH - The holidays don't last forever, this too shall pass, blah blah blah.

We need to focus on spending time with our families -  not yanking out our perfectly styled (yeah, right) hair while searching for the perfect gift.  I realized, while waking up for work on December 26th, that I did not enjoy the holidays this year.  I was thinking about whether or not our families would like their gifts.  I was thinking about how we are going to replenish our savings account once all the gifts had been given.  I was just thinking about getting through those crazy days.  

My New Year's Resolution?  I am going to enjoy life.  I am going to strive for less stress throughout the year AND during the 2014 holiday season.  I am going to spend time with my family without the distraction of what I am going to buy them for next year's Christmas.  

This, my friends, is part of transition.  This is a transition from quantity to quality.  Our loved ones don't care what we bought them for Christmas.  They care about that hour we spent reminiscing about our late grandparents.  They care about the chocolate-making tradition that serves as a welcomed hassle.  They care about our happiness.

Here's to a beautiful, semi-relaxed 2014 for all you crazy people like me.