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Today is December the 9th... THE NINTH! Folks, I'm not ready for Christmas. Not by a long shot. Are you? I found myself the other night wishing December was over because of all the stresses... for real? I wished the birth month of Jesus to go quicker? Ugh. Kelly needs to take a chill pill ;)
So, I thought I'd blog about the 12 Stresses of Christmas. Can you relate to any of them?

(There will be one posted each day for the next 12 days :) )

The first stress of Christmas that really gets to me... not having enough Mon-ey...

Image courtesy of ponsulak / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
1. Money Money is my biggest stress around the holidays. I have 3 small kids (7,5, and 2). I want them to have a good Christmas so I, of course, spend too much on them. I don't know why... they would be just as happy with a box than the $200 thing that goes in it (I should be taking advantage of that right now ;) )

Money is a big issues normally anyway. I believe I've read that most marriages end because of fights over money. I can understand that. Even with both of us working (my husband and I), it's hard during Christmas. Wouldn't it be nice if the banks/collection agencies/utilities would let us have December off?

December (and January) has always been a tight month for us. We aren't the best budget-ers (hence why we both work and still have trouble with money... sigh. I applaud all of you who can make it work on one income!). It's enough to make you want the month to hurry up and get over with...

That's not the way to think about this time of the year. Christmas (as all the movies like to tell us) is a magical time. And it is. It's the time when we remember/celebrate Jesus's birthday and let's us remember that he was just a tiny baby-- a baby born to die so we can go to Heaven.

How do you deal with money stress this time of the year? Are you a budget-er or a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants-er? Do you have any great money saving tips for Christmas?
How about talking about the true meaning of Christmas and not the presents? Like someone told me yesterday, God had his son born in a barn-- He didn't go all out and buy him $1000 of Bethlehem's best toys-- and HE was JESUS.
Do you have any stresses for Christmas? List them in comments and see if they make the top 12 list :)
~Kelly
Lord, help us please be diligent, responsible, and careful with our money this holiday season. Not stingy where we don't want to spend any or give to charity, but careful that we only spend what you've given us. In Jesus's name I pray, Amen.

For 12 days, I'm writing about the 12 stresses of Christmas... First is MONEY... Second is TIME... Third on my list is...

THE "PERFECT" GIFT

Image courtesy of cescassawin / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The third stress of Christmas that really gets to me... finding the perfect present... Time spinning faster.. and not having enough Mon-ey...

3. The "Perfect" Gift
If you are like me, I'm not a good gift giver. I want to be. I want to give people what they want, but ultimately, I don't think I do. I stress about what the give each person that they will like, but really, they usually end up with a gift card (I know!).

I'd love to be one of those people who always get something 'perfect'. Something thoughtful that everyone will love. I try to do it... then time runs out and I just get something. After that, I get embarrassed by what I got and think, "Next year will be better... "

And then next year comes...

How about you? Do you stress over the perfect gift? Do you worry more about your family's presents or acquaintances/boss? If you have one gift giving/buying piece of advice, what would it be?

~Kelly

Lord, please help us remember that there is only one 'perfect' gift-- Jesus. Everything else is just icing on the cake. Help us be mindful of other's wants/needs/likes, but know that in the end, it truly is the thought that counts. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.

This time of year can be very stressful, I know it is for me. I have three kids, my husbands work shuts down for 13 days, and there are places to go, things to buy, and people to see.
In short, it's stressful.
In fact, our Christmas play at church deals with the stresses of the season and how much we forget that it's not about the 'perfect' Christmas... it's about the baby boy born that morning.
So, how can we make Christmas less stressful this year?

• Don't worry if everything's not perfect. It'll be what it is :)
• Take time to laugh
• Have small kids and a not so clean house, don't stress. At least your kids are happy and playing (I have to remind myself of this a lot lol)
• Take time for yourself! I have a hard time with this one, but everyone needs time to recharge their batteries.
• Find fun. When I get stressed, I snap at people. If I was having fun, I wouldn't snap lol. Play games with your kids, even if it's silly ones.
• Pray. Giving your stresses to God and knowing it's going to be okay is a great way to deal with stress. Also, praying lets you know that He's right there with you... even in that long line at Target...
• Find time to read your Bible every day. Don't have the TV or loud music on. Just spend time with your Bible and God. It is relaxing and lets you know He's right there with you.

Christmas time, one of the most joyous times of year, can quickly turn into a pull-out-my-hair, if- someone-gives-me-one-more-fruitcake-I’m-going-to-throw-it, when-will-this-holiday-finally-be-overseason. When we should be celebrating the birth of the One who came to save us, we are stressing over piles of wrapping paper, baked goods and party invitations. The busyness steals our peace and robs us of joy. So how can this holiday season peaceful? How can we remain joyful?

Woman to Woman Ministries presents the Christmas Blessing Giveaway! Join thirty-two bloggers for ideas and advice on how to remain peaceful in a stressful season.
In addition to sweet encouragement on keeping the peace in your home and heart, we are giving away a blessing of $320 in PayPal cash. The winner will have the money transferred to their PayPal account where they can use it for Christmas celebrations, groceries, bills, whatever they need. To enter to win simply complete all of the tasks in the rafflecopter below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway Christmas Blessing Giveaway Rules: No purchase necessary. Must be 18 to enter. Void where prohibited by law. This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or associated by Facebook. By entering this giveaway, you agree to release Facebook, Woman to Woman Ministries and all participating blogs of all liability. Contest ends at 12:01am EST on Tuesday, December 11, 2012. Winner is randomly chosen by Rafflecopter and will be emailed on December 11, 2012, then funds will be transferred to winner's PayPal account. Participating Blogs…Please help support these wonderful bloggers! 1. Woman to Woman Ministries http://www.w2wministries.org/ 2. Sweet Blessings http://www.jenifermetzger.org/ 3. Treasures Found in Him http://www.debibaker.org/ 4. Leaving a Legacy http://www.leavingalegacyblog.net/ 5. Kelly Martin Stories http://www.kellymartinstories.com/ 6. Happy Little Homemaker http://www.happylittlehomemaker.com/ 7. The Encouraging Home http://www.theencouraginghome.com/ 8. Christian Women's Voice http://christianwomensvoice.org/ 9. Beautiful in Him http://www.allisonjonmorrison.blogspot.com/ 10. A Simple Life, Really?! http://asimplelifereally.blogspot.com/ 11. Managing Your Blessings http://www.managingyourblessings.com/ 12. Thankful Homemaker http://thankful-homemaker.blogspot.com/ 13. For Unmarried Christian Women http://www.for-unmarried-christian-women.com/ 14. The Chuppies http://thechuppies.com/ 15. Homemaker by Choice http://www.homemakerbychoice.net/ 16. Leaving a Legacy http://angietolpin.com/ 17. Love, Friendship, & All Things Girly http://www.bethanyjett.com/ 18. Simply Audra Marie http://www.audrasilva.com/ 19. Young Wife's Guide http://youngwifesguide.com/ 20. A Biblical Marriage http://abiblicalmarriage.com/ 21. Becoming a Strong Woman of God http://www.becomingastrongwomanofgod.com/ 22. Unmarried http://www.unmarriedmovie.com/ 23. CSAHM http://csahm.com/ 24. Renewing Housewives http://www.renewinghousewives.com/ 25. Mothers on Mission http://mothersonmission.org/ 26. Awakened Anew http://awakenedanew.com/ 27. The Father Knows Best http://www.thefatherknowsbest.com/ 28. Our Simple Farm http://www.oursimplefarm.com/ 29. So You Call Yourself a Homeschooler http://www.soyoucallyourselfahomeschooler.com/ 30. Getting It Right - Occasionally http://www.gettingitright-occasionally.blogspot.com/ 31. Only A Breath http://www.onlyabreath.com/ 32. Kove's Blog http://www.kovesblog.blogspot.com/