Between The Breaks

Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." Mark 6:31

The span of time sandwiched in between the Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks is tough for my second grader. For five, chilly November mornings she gets to sleep in, eat breakfast whenever she is hungry, and wear sweatpants and tee shirts rather than her school uniform. When her turkey-filled tummy returns to school, it knows Christmas cookies are just around the corner and the anticipation of another break in only three-and-a-half weeks is torture.

It is hard for me too. While I know a lot of moms look forward to having kids in school so they can pursue their own, productive routines, I love having my kids at home. Sure, the house is a mess and I become tardy with every deadline I have, but the sounds of my children playing and laughing are worth it. I look forward to Christmas break so they can help me bake, and we can go ice skating or sledding if there happens to be snow.

An uncomfortable sense of urgency fills the three-and-a-half weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks. Suddenly my daughter’s ability to build a three dimensional diorama inside a shoe box for school, and play a medley of carols on the piano for a recital become of paramount importance. Christmas may not come until December 25, but if you’re not ready for it by December 1, you are considered late (and I always am). The calendar fills until each little square is ready to burst. But this all ends on December 19, when the only thing written through the end of the year is ‘no school.’

I now face two and a half more weeks of Christmas shopping, sending cards, hanging lights, and shuttling my family from one holiday event to the next. We will make the most of this traditionally crazy time of year until we get to December 19. Then we will breathe a sigh of relief and relish every minute of Christmas break.