CHRISTMAS CRAZINESS QUIZ
Gather 26 small pieces of chocolate.
Answer the following questions Yes or No. Every time you say “yes” eat a chocolate.
- Does your annual Christmas shopping take more than 10 hours?
- Did you (will you) blow your budget?
- Will you miss any sleep worrying about how much money you spent?
- Will you need more than 10 meters (3 rolls) of wrapping paper?
- Do you cut down a real tree?
- Do you put up more than one tree?
- Do you decorate the trees by yourself?
- If you let the family help decorate, do you go back and rearrange the decorations after they are done?
- Do you stuff stockings with more than 3 items?
- Do you decorate more than one room in your house?
- Do your decorations require 3 or more large totes?
- Do you (not your BFF) put up outside lights?
- Do you hang outside lights on more than the house (trees, fence, lawn)?
- Do you display a life-size nativity, Santa and sleigh, or air-filled Santa or snowman in your yard?
- Do you do any special Christmas baking?
- Will you have photos taken with Santa?
- Will you buy new clothes for the photo shoot?
- Will you attend more than 3 Christmas events?
- Did you (will you) do any pre-Christmas reno projects?
- Will you do extra Christmas cleaning?
- Did you send out a postcard or Christmas letter?
- Will you give gifts (gift cards) to casual relationships (co-workers, teachers, coaches, neighbours)?
- Will you participate in a cookie or other baking or craft exchange?
- Will you host any Christmas parties or meals at your house?
- Do your kids have advent calendars?
- Are you having fun yet!
Count the remaining chocolates. If you are already sick, there’s no need to count. Are you over-committed, over-performing, over-compensating (guilt driven) this Christmas? What can you do about it?
I gave this quiz to 30 MOPS mommies yesterday and there was a whole range of results. During the guided discussion groups I encouraged moms to look at their candy pile and decide if they needed to change anything.
I suggested you can only change two things…
- What you do: We heard from a mom who was changing things this year for the first time — replacing the family Christmas with cranky in-laws for a week in Hawaii.
- How you think/feel about what you do: We heard from another mom who wanted to change the family Christmas which involved a long drive with toddlers to a tiny crowded house but knew the time wasn’t right so she decided to change her attitude and look for ways to bring back the fun.
What about you? Do you need to make any changes this Christmas?
Hope for the Rest of Us 
Oh Con, that is so cute…I can’t believe how many chocolates I was required to eat. Now I have to add a pound of guilt to my overburdened brain. Just kidding… I was wrapping stocking presents today so far I am at 12 items for each. Yes, they are small and I have been collecting them all year. Just took my cat-sitters ,( mother , daughter and friend )and my house-sitter to see an Aladdin Panto. We laughed so hard. It included a couple of Elvis tunes and a disco number. These folks are amazing to look after the homefront for us while we laze away the winter. I must admit I am far more active down there. Hope your Christmas plans are minimal but merry. Hope you have a wonderful and very Blessed Christmas. Love Dianne
Date: Wed, 9 Dec 2015 15:42:27 +0000 To: diannehaupert@hotmail.com
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Dear Dianne — sorry to add to the waistline and the guilt-line in one fell swoop!It sounds like you are back home for Christmas? Enjoy the snow while you can. I am sure it gets very dull with all that green in Fla! Ha! I’ll see you in the spring. yay
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