Well, Halloween is over and it was quite exhausting! Now we just have to get through Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Is it just me or does it seem like once Halloween is over the mad rush is on??
I remember being a kid when this was exciting...it still is but now as an adult and single parent also very stressful!

I totally agree with u.It is very stressful esp. when u have finals at school and year end at work, the pressure of getting things done (with little money to spare) it very stressful. I feel that all of this takes the joy of Xmas from me. I truelly feel like Scrooge around this time of the year.It does not help that Xmas has become soooo commercialised. I am just happy that my son is still not really aware of this side of the season...at least for now.

I try not to let it stress me out ... I LOVE Christmas ... I love everything about Christmas, and now, to see my son get into the holiday spirit and to see his eyes light up as Christmas decorations begin to appear everywhere just makes it that much better for me as a parent! You can get too caught up in the commercialism of it all ...

I still look forward to Christmas, because it is one out of 2 times in the year when I get a proper home cooked meal. My apartment just won't do for cooking a Turkey, etc. and pigging out...so regardless of money and time...I appreciate going back to what I consider a family setting.

Thanksgiving and Christmas are my favorite times of the year. I've vowed to not let anything give me the blues. I've completed my shopping for the younger two, so that that would alleviate a lot of rushing and stress... I plan to make this Holiday Season a memorable one for my family, even if it means dealing with some family members that get on my last nerve...lollllllll Rain or shine, I will not be stuck doing all the cooking and dishesssssss for Thanksgiving. I am so thankful for the amazing blessings I've received this year...I BOUGHT A NEW CAR 3 WEEKS AGO, AND I FORGOT TO SHARE THAT WITH ALL OF YOU...I was able to get it financed on my credit alone, and you can best believe my dad and I were estastic.....

We'll be in church the majority of the time this season, and getting caught up in the commercialism of Christmas has never been in our family, it is definitely about family....I thought I'd be in a different place in my personal life, but I take the good with the bad, with my children always coming first....

Happy Holidayssssssssssssssssss everyone...

Peace to you all!!!

I haven't been in the Holiday Mood the last few years, but my kids sure do love it, and I like seeing them happy, so we celebrate hard. I even managed to get the day after Thanksgiving off work... it will be great.

The holidays really should be about family, our children, our parents whatever family we have around us to share it with. Society/business really has commericalized the holidays. It gets to be a big rat race if we let it. Hopefully we all can find a way to take the holidays in stride and keep it more about enjoying the true meaning of the holidays, and celebrate them happily with our loved ones.

I hope every one has a wonderful and memorable holiday season.

All4Mine, congrats on the new car, "Oh what a feeling" oh wait, that's Toyota's slogan. Still applies I'm sure.

My favorite time of year is the holidays. I love the way everything looks. Most everyone is in a good mood. The lights twinkle and the food...mmm...I don't know that I need to say anymore. I love spending time w/family and friends w/o having to be always tense and in a rush. I try to get Christmas shopping done ahead of time so I don't have to get so stressed out. I spend all day Christmas Eve baking and decorating cookies w/Ty. It is our tradition. That night we cuddle up w/some of the cookies and watch Christmas movies all snuggled under blankets. All the lights in the house are off except the ones on the tree. I live all year for this one moment where my son is happier than any other and we don't have 10 million other things to do. This year for Thanksgiving, I get to take my son to his first family reunion. I can't wait for him to see how incredibly large our family really is. And the good old-fashioned traditional Thanksgiving meal...mmm...I so can't wait for the holidays this year!!!!

Wish me luck, this year I am hosting my first Thanksgiving. Only feeding 8 or so people, but I am excited. I love the holidays, but I try not to make a big deal out of them because of all the swapping that goes on between me and dad. Looking over the custody agreement we just settled on last week, I think that I am going to give on Christmas in order to save on the trips back and forth. The court papers have us swapping 5 times in three days, and thats just silly. I am hoping to strike a deal where Dad gets Blair both x-mas and x-mas eve this year if I can have both next year. Me and Blair can celebrate Christmas quietly at home the week before, and we don't have to make Blair feel like the rope in a game of tug-of-war.

I love the Holidays!! Most years, Thanksgiving is celebrated with the Detroit parade in the morning. Enjoying the standing and freezing outside while we watch the floats and drink our hot chocolate waiting for good ole Santa Clause to come at the end. Ya hoooo! Then a huge dinner at my parents....Yum!!

Christmas eve is last minute deals at the mall, shopping with my daughter and sister finding any and everything we don't need! Midnight mass at church....and after, swaping a secret present with my daughter that only we know about. Christmas morning is always at my house....and always with a cozy fire burning in the fireplace and tons of presents under the tree for whoever comes over. Can't wait!! What a great time of year!

I do love the holidays too but sometimes I miss the snow at Christmastime when I used to live in Ohio, but, eating tamales at Christmas along with turkey makes up for part of it. We stay up all night usually, on the 24th, I let the kids open presents at 12 midnight.
I guess the hardest part is finding the right gifts, and the traffic- Im not one of those people who cab shop year round for gifts, or even early-I have no where to hide anything, our closet space is severly limited! One thing I like to do though is save boxes all year from things like, toothpaste, or those ones the juices come in, and use them to wrap gifts, that way if the kids rip the paper a little they still wont know whats in the box.so I get the last laugh!