I’ve heard it said that good is the enemy of great. But I would argue that “good enough” might actually be the key to peace on Earth and good will to men this Christmas.
As moms, we know all too well that behind all the Christmas magic is a ton of work: the decorating, the shopping, the wrapping, the cooking, the baking, the planning, the events, the school dress up days, the food drives, the volunteering…. Don’t get me wrong, I love it all. I’m the first to shout Fa La La La La, but all the extra responsibilities can be a lot.
And if you happen to lean a little on the controlling side like I do, the season can be super hard. Because we love it all and want it be just so. Because we love our people well and want them to have a great holiday. Because our love language is Christmas cards and cookie baking. And so the pressure builds until one not-so-silent night, you’re fighting with your husband over the right way to string Christmas lights. So magical.
But what if we could embrace a Good Enough Christmas? Let go of some of our own expectations for the sake of peace and calm in our homes, and in our hearts. After all, these activities are meant to enhance our Christmas joy, not deplete it. I admit, I’ve tried and failed at this in years past. I have resisted because it seemed like lowering the bar or giving up. But this year, I reframed it for myself as raising the joy, and fully embraced my Good Enough Christmas.
It all started with our Christmas card.
As I mentioned before, Christmas cards are my love language. I love giving them and receiving them. I love displaying them and getting caught up with all the sweet families near and far. I wanted to get our card out earlier than usual because we also just moved into a new house, so they doubled as a change of address cards. But in the middle of a move, who has time to choose outfits and have a nice photo taken? So this year, our card was a selfie in front of the new house with a “we’ve moved” note. Were we squinting against the sun? Yep. Has my ten-year-old outgrown all her clothes and so her tummy was showing? Yep. Was it good enough? Absolutely.
Wearing the same festive clothes I wore last year to this year’s parties? Good enough. Angel cookies get a little burnt on the edges? Good enough.
But the most remarkable difference this year was the night we decorated our tree. I alluded to it earlier, but this activity causes a dumb argument every year in our house. My husband and I have been married for 14 years, and we could not be more different from each other. He is fine with just getting the job done, but my Christmas-loving heart wants it to be stunning. So the lights always seem to involve some friction.
This year, through a clenched smile and all the sincerity I could muster, I explained that I was going to hold the bundle of lights for him while he put them on the tree and I wasn’t going to say one word about how it was getting done, as long as he tried his best. He thought it was a trap. But as he started laying the lights on the branches and working his way around the tree, I felt so much weight evaporate from my body. It was getting done, and I didn’t need to micromanage and stress about it. The end result was a beautifully decorated tree, and a family that was actually enjoying some Christmas magic. And that is better than good enough.
