Bitter Sweet Holidays

Today's Guest Blogger is Maria, author of the blog Tough Cookie Mommy. A native New Yorker who shares her stories, reflections, triumphs and so much more. Stop by her blog to gain some insight into who she is and maybe, make you reflect upon who you are.  You might be a tougher cookie than you think...


BITTER SWEET HOLIDAYS

The holidays have a wonderful way of bringing out the best and the worst in people. More often than not, we hear holiday stories where everyone had an amazing time as much as we hear stories of family gatherings gone wrong. It is a unique time of the year where everyone's emotions are running high and a lot of stress and preparation goes into getting ready for a few days of festivities. As a result of this, there are many things that we all love about the holidays and, unfortunately, there are also many things that we all dread about the holidays. I guess you can't have a complete holiday season without experiencing both. Being that I happen to be somewhat of an expert on the "good, bad, and the ugly" of the holiday season, I thought I would enlighten you with a list of the 5 best things about the holidays and the 5 most dreaded things about the holidays:

5 Things That We All Love About The Holidays:

1) Buying presents for all our loved ones.

2) The looks on children's faces as they open their presents.

3) Eating all of the wonderful food that we prepare around the holidays.

4) Spending time with those who matter the most to us.

5) Singing along to holiday music.


5 Things We All Dread About The Holidays:

1) Seeing those family members that we work so hard all year long to avoid seeing.

2) Looking at our bank accounts after the holidays.

3) The morning after New Year's Eve...

4) Going crazy trying to buy that "must have" toy for your child that is sold out everywhere.

5) Having to clean up after all of your guests go home.

*HONORABLE MENTION* Your Mother In Law!

Luckily for most of us, the holidays are such a magical time that we very often think that the good experiences outweigh the bad ones. It is really important that you don't lose sight of the things that truly matter during the holidays such as family, friends, and unity. This is the time of the year where we slow down from our daily grind and focus on our loved ones and what they mean to us in our lives. This year, I am especially grateful for my two sons and the fact that they are healthy and happy. At the end of the day, that is what celebrating the holidays is really about, celebrating life and all of its many blessings. I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a very healthy and happy holiday season and New Year.