Ways to Stress Out a Working Mom, Holiday Style
December 4th, 2011, posted by Aimee
Every year, that first dreaded envelope arrives just after Thanksgiving and lands like a thud on this stressed out working mom’s kitchen countertop … the first cute little family holiday card from a friend who’s obviously much more together than me. Damn if there are few things more stress-inducing to me than knowing there are just a few weeks until Christmas and I not only need to find a single decent photo that contains me, Tavish and Nate, but that we need to use it to create and order holiday cards, then track down everyone’s address so that the cards arrive prior to the new year. (That’s right – I gave up long ago on making it in time for Christmas).
As I chastised my awesome – also working mom, by the way – friend who victimized me this year with her gorgeous family card that arrived on November 30th, I told her that this is just one of several things that can really cause a maxed out working mom anxiety at the holidays.
Here are a few of the ways to really throw a wrench in this working mom’s mood at this time of year:
o Posting photos of home-baked pies and cookies or other deliciously impressive home-cooked meals on Facebook. (Cut to me struggling to find a bakery that makes decent desserts or spending $10 for a pint of dough at Whole Foods).
o Asking me to bring a dish to your holiday potluck – especially when the invitation specifies “no chips and salsa, please.”
o Throwing a holiday party in which shoes are required to come off at the front door. No! I f___ing need my boots/5-inch platform shoes to give this plain LBD a teeny bit of sex appeal!
o Revealing the good news that we’ve finally signed that new business prospect we’ve been wooing for months and they really want to meet the team … in person … on December 24th.
o Reminding me that my son’s preschool holiday party is on the same day as a critical all-hands-on deck meeting at work.
o Finding out the office Christmas party this year involves neither copious amounts of booze or a ritzy luncheon but instead tumbling and trapeze lessons at an inner city circus school.
o Overhearing a stay-at-home mom at the park boasting about how she has finished all her shopping and wrapping and is now focused on doing holiday crafts like wreath-making and cookie decorating with the kids.
What about you? What stresses you out at the holidays?
Comments
Wow this is so my life! The only difference is on top of that two science projects need to be started along with a replica of the bent pyramid. Who the heck comes up with. And for those stay at home moms who get their shopping done on time and have time to make crafts all I say to that is I need a drink…. Thanks for the awesome article made my day!
Aimes, LOVE this post! Can’t believe I missed it before. Thank you for being kind!
BTW, your card was gorgeous!! BTW, that circus school comment CRACKED me up. Who thought of that anyway. HOpe to catch up soon!
We are shooting for valentines cards…. Maybe. And we are taking faux Christmas photos by our Christmas tree this weekend. But the missed Santa photo will just have to be taken as a loss, not gonna find Santa around the mall mi January!