Christmas Magic Then and Now

It's funny how the "holidays" are still so exciting to us, despite how they have done a complete 180 since before having kids!

For instance:

Holidays before having kids meant....
-spending time with family
-giving and receiving presents
-shopping whenever we felt like it
-drinking whenever we wanted
-saying what we wanted out loud (if not clear, see flip-side list below)
-Going to parents' houses for delicious, prepared meals

Holidays with kids means....
-preparing to spend time with families  (be it packing to travel, be it cleaning the house to prepare for visitors)
-focusing solely on gifts for kids, kids' teachers, parents, etc.  What's on our wish list?  Don't know!  Who has time to think about that! I guess new dish towels? A new spatula? Gift card to Target?
-shopping on a limited time schedule....after working all day, after feeding kids (followed by super secret importing of presents into the house in places where we can only hope we will remember when it comes time to wrap)
-skipping the booze because we know we'll be too tired the next day
-always talking about "Santa" and having to remember to move the magic Elf every night
-Planning, purchasing and preparing food, drinks and apps for guests at our home
(*things that add to exhausting/stressful are in bold)

In sum, the holidays are tiring.  Are they any less fun?  Actually....no.  I might even venture to say they are more fun.  Nothing beats excited, happy and healthy little kids.  We bake Christmas treats! Greg risks his life on the roof putting up lights (which I have now forbidden moving forward because it makes me crazy (-ier).  We sing and dance to Christmas music!  The lights!  The decorations!  The parties!  The cards! I know I've mentioned the exhausting parts, but there are also a few other slightly not-so-amazing moments....like when your child sings the 12 Days of Christmas on repeat for days and day. Or when you turn monstrous and find yourself overusing the threat of "Santa's watching you!!!!!!!"  I really hate when I do that, but let's be real, sometimes one can become desperate for strategies to stop bad behavior/encourage good behavior of young children.

So honestly, I wouldn't change a thing.  The holidays were exciting then and exiting now, but they certainly are a different kind of exciting--that's all.