Holiday Hangovers 12-31-2010

Many people will awake tomorrow and greet 2011 with a hangover from indulging too much in reverie the night before. Still more of us will greet 2011 with what I like to call a holiday hangover. A holiday hangover can be just plain regret from indulging too much financially or indulging too much around the table with friends and family. Some of us may even have indulged too much in the comings and goings of the season, resulting in a suffocating depression as the holidays come to a screeching halt.

My family indulged a bit too much financially, including today when we took Daniel (our youngest) to an indoor water park at Massanutten- a ski resort in the mountains about an hour and a half from us. We did this because the older three are on a youth group trip and I didn't want Daniel to feel left out. Unfortunately, that fun came at a price, and while I think it was well worth it, it left us with empty wallets until the next payday. The 'fun money' is all gone, and we are left with good memories, an aching back (as I really shouldn't have gone down one slide in particular) and a lingering exhaustion from quite a bit of fun!

In a few short minutes, 2010 will end and 2011 will begin. Like so many other families, we will be revisiting our budget, making sure everything is as it should be, and probably revising it a bit. We'll be asking hard questions, thinking about where we're spending too much in both time and money and tweaking. We'll also be organizing and trying to put things back in order around here. Even as I type this, Spouse is busy taking down decorations and tomorrow will be spent (at least part of the day) cleaning and sweeping out the old to make room for the new. We're even sorting through things to donate to the local Goodwill, to bless others as we bless ourselves with a tidy home.

Though I have made no real New Year's resolutions since those are typically broken by the third day of the year, there are places that I'm working on. Things that God is working out IN me. Places that need straightening out and things that generally need to be cut back on. The new year is a great time to think back at the year that's past and think about what has worked well, and what needs more tweaking. For me, I plan to grow closer to God, closer to my family, and to get rid of my clutter and keep my home and life clutter-free to make room for new ideas and blessings in my life. So what are you planning to work on in 2011?

Wishing you and yours a wonderful New Year, full of blessing and beauty!