unhappy holidays

I really struggled with the holidays this year.

I spent so much time worrying about the buying!making!preparing!giving!
wrapping!decorating! ...that I just...well, I just burned out.

Completely.

For whatever reason, I decided 2012 should be the year I pitch a 'handmade Christmas' to my loved ones. You know, the year when I moved twice, bought a house, got a puppy, went insane, stressed over family health problems, sued a crappy landlady, and a bunch of other issues I didn't bother/want to blog about.

I love crafting. Absolutely, truly love it. And despite my previous post, I really do enjoy crafting for others. So, I totally thought the handmade Christmas thing was going to go perfect. I just didn't count on a few outside factors, such as...burned chocolate, a destroyer dog, sizing issues, random breakage, and then just...running out of time.

By the time this week...and my parents...and the holiday...arrived, I was so over Christmas. I was exhausted. All I could focus on was the nap I would get when it was finally over. My mom and I talked about it while she was here, and she felt exactly the same. We also both agreed on something else.

Next year needs to be different. It has to be, and we, ourselves, have to make it so.

Next year needs to be different. The whole year. Not just Christmas.

So, how am I going to make that happen?

Merry Christmas!!

May the greatest gift you receive be the memories you make with loved ones.

{wordless} lights

It's a lot more fun to decorate your house for Christmas when it actually is yours. :)