Christmas Is Making Us Crazy!

Christmas is making us crazy over here y’all! Raise your hand if the holiday season is weighing you down…and we don’t just mean because of all the yummy Christmas cookies you have been making thanks to Pinterest!

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It seems like there is just so much stuff to do at this time of year. Between the gift buying and the house decorating, we start out broke and tired. When you throw in school holiday parties and dance recitals, we feel ourselves going over the edge into crazytown. Forget throwing an unexpected illness into the mix, because that is just a recipe for why mommy rocks in the corner crying all day!

So, we had grand plans of blog work all week and part of next week, where we would then treat ourselves to blog holiday break…check out of social media and really just focus on time with our families. We all know how relaxing long school breaks are for moms, right?

But then, well, life happened. And we discovered that if we actually planned to sleep on Christmas Eve and not find ourselves combing the aisles of the local Walgreen’s for Christmas gifts for the whole family (really, though, who can’t use a new comb and some Jujubes), we needed to actually use our very limited remaining free time wisely.

So if you need us, we are knee deep in the dollar bin at Target grabbing all remaining batteries and rolls of tape. Once we finish there, we will be heading over to Justice to relive our 80’s youth and attempt to find our preteen girls a few sweaters in any shade other than day-glo green. Good luck on that front, are we right?!

In the meantime, since we know everyone currently reading this has a to-do list a mile long, we are just going to share a few of our favorite holiday posts from the past couple years in one spot. Read them at your leisure (HA!) or when you need a break from all the holiday visitors (more likely!). We are all in this together. And boy does it take a village, especially during the holidays!

That Time I Accidentally Told My Kids Santa Is A Jackass

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A real lesson in making sure you have your story BEFORE your kids question you!

Dear Santa, Please Make My Kids Smile On Command Just Once

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Kids really just know how to put the cheer in holiday cheer, don’t they?!

The Worst Christmas Display You Will Ever See

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Try explaining that choice of Christmas decorating every day on the way to school!

So, there you have it, folks. Our version of a Christmas season wrap-up. Now, everyone, back to your regularly, scheduled programming, i.e. teacher gifts, grocery shopping trips, and figuring out where you hid that gift you bought last April when it was dirt cheap and your couldn’t pass up the savings!

Happy Holidays Dose Peeps!

We will see you all back here on January, 5th, 2015 right after we send our children back to school and pour ourselves the first cup of actually hot coffee we will have had in 2.5 weeks!

 

 

 

 

Pinterest Nightmare #585: Ho Ho…NO!

We all have that one person in our lives. She manages to survive the springtime months. She limps her way through the summer as best she can. But she truly COMES ALIVE the day after Thanksgiving…

She’s your official Christmas Enthusiast friend!

Sure, many people enjoy the holiday season, but a certified Christmas Enthusiast takes it to an entirely different level. She’s the one who gleefully freehand sculpts sugar cookie dough into unique snowflake patterns (no two are alike!) and dusts them with gourmet Chilean confectioners’ sugar she ground herself with a mortar and pestle. She has limitless holiday energy which she uses to deck out her house in more greenery than a temperate coniferous forest.

Want to know the best yuletide music to purchase? Your Christmas Enthusiast friend will happily school you on the relative merits of the Michael Bublé Christmas album vs Josh Grobin’s Noël as soon as she returns from the unveiling of this year’s Dillard’s Christmas Collectible Bear at the mall.

While we usually give our Christmas Enthusiast another piece to add to her Thomas Kinkade Illuminated Holiday Village, this year she told us she really wanted to add to her collection of Santa Claus paraphernalia.

Say no more! We know where to go for ideas when we have a special shopping mission…Pinterest of course!

Pinterest Nightmare #585a: Santa Claus Toilet Cover and Rug Set

Santa Claus Toilet Seat Cover

as pinned from ebay.com

Aw! What a cute way to spruce up the half bathroom! From his hat to his suit, it’s like Santa has taken up residence right there in your powder room! And just imagine, when you have to use the facilities you just lift the commode lid and it’s like you are going right in Santa’s…GAH!! YIKES! Okay…well, maybe this is better for a regular chair. Sure! Just place the lid cover on the seat and arrange the other items around it. Adorable! When you need to rest you just sit yourself down on Santa’s…OH NO!

 

 

Let’s all sing a round of Jingle Bells to rid us of these mental images. Maybe we ought to move away from decor items and see what else Pinterest has to offer. Perhaps we can find something practical…

 

Pinterest Nightmare #585b: Santa Claus Drinking Hat

Santa Drinking Hat

as pinned from baronbob.com

 

It’s much easier to be a jolly old elf when you’re sporting a double-fisted drinking hat!! The model really captured the despair of having spent 3 1/2 hours assembling the Barbie Dream House only to realize you are one plastic, pink connector shy of a functional elevator. In situations like that you’ll be glad you have a few brewskis on hand…er…on your head.

 

 

 

But what if your friend is more into figurines than bold fashion statements? Not to worry! Pinterest has something perfect for everyone!

 

Pinterest Nightmare #585c: Santa Claus Refreshment Dispensers

Santa Candy and Drink Dispenser

as pinned from candyaddict.com & stupid.com

Who doesn’t want to enjoy a delicious refreshment straight from the big guy, himself? All you need to decide is if you are in the mood for a #1 or a #2, and Santa will take care of the rest! YUM!

 

But that’s not all the Santa-rific items Pinterest has to offer. Feast your eyes on…

 

Pinterest Nightmare #585d: Santa Claus Mankini

Santa Mankini Swimsuit

as pinned from boomcostumes.ie

 

 

YES! Just when you thought meggings were revealing, Pinterest brings us the Santa-fied bikini equivalent for men-the mankini! The Nutcracker isn’t just a ballet anymore, kids!

 

 

 

 

Although this isn’t the kind of stocking stuffer that Santa is known for, he can totally pull it off. Let’s just hope he reserves this outfit for his polar bear plunges and not for photo ops with the kids at the mall. That would get him fast tracked on the naughty list!

Oh, Pinterest. No…just no!

 

 

Making The Cut: When Christmas Is Painful

It is no secret that my mother died a few years ago. I have written about it a few times here, including when I shared about the difficulty of the first holiday season without her. As anyone who has experienced loss can tell you, it is often the most unexpected moments that hit you the hardest.

I can honestly say that even three years later, the process of doing holiday cards is one of the times I miss my mom the most. It is one of the times that I can genuinely hear her voice raving about my choice of cards and my children in their photos.

I am beyond honored that The Huffington Post is sharing a post that I wrote about what it feels like when Christmas is painful. When you have to make the cut in the Christmas card list that you wish you did not have to make.

When Christmas Is Painful

We are closing comments here today in hopes that you will share your thoughts over at HuffPo instead. It would mean the world to me, and I can promise you that somewhere my mother will be sharing them all beaming with pride.

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Does Your House Have A War On Christmas Music, Too?

We are total Christmas music junkies over here at The Dose of Reality. Like, the second the all Christmas music, all the time radio station blasts the first notes of I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas, we know it is going to be a good day.

Our hubbies and children do not feel the same level of love and commitment to carols that we do. Let’s just say that Lisa’s hubby refuses to listen to the same song twice, which makes the holidays a bit tricky for him. And Ashley’s hubby has declared a ban on all carols recorded by wives of famous musicians. Yes, Yoko Ono, he is looking at you.

So, needless to say, when we read this post by our friend Kathy Radigan at My Dishwasher’s Possessed, we called each other immediately to laugh over our favorite parts (spoiler alert: it was all of them).

Before we share with you the fantasticness that is Kathy’s ode to her love of Christmas music, we want to tell you a little about how amazing she is. You know those people in the world who just exude kindness and generosity? If you look up those words in the dictionary, you will see Kathy’s picture. She goes out of her way to spread the blogging love, and her love of this community shows in everything she does. We feel so lucky to call her a friend.

If your family is giving you fits about wanting to crank up All I Want For Christmas then you will not want to miss this post! Conversely, if Rockin Around the Christmas Tree is not exactly your idea of a good time, you will laugh relating to how Kathy’s family feels. Either way, this is a win-win for you!

Just to give you a quick taste of what you are going to read, here is a snippet.

November 1 starts the annual “War of the Christmas Music.”

Each year, it’s me against my husband and the three little darlings that I brought into this world, I should add after a collective 36 hours of labor and three C-sections.

This year, I’m taking a proactive stand. I’m taking my case to the people (or at least the few wonderful souls who take time out of their day to read my blog).

Mommy wants to listen to “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas” without the groans and moans from the back seat of the minivan. I would like to enjoy all 55 versions from 55 different artists of, “It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” without hearing Joe call me a “Lame-o.”

I’m listing 10 reasons why my family shouldn’t give me a hard time listening to the holiday music that gives little old me such joy:

Let us just warn you that each reason is laugh out loud funny! Comments will be closed here today so that you can all head over to Kathy’s place and bust out a little 12 Days of Christmas while you leave her some Dose Peep love!

http://mydishwasherspossessed.blogspot.com/2013/10/its-beginning-to-sound-lot-like.html

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Can’t you just tell she is the nicest person ever?!