Whether you find the word's of a Grinch or a Grandfather more on-target, the sentiment is the same. Photo by James Short.
Don't sweat the small stuff, and yes, it really is all small stuff.
My grandfather had a saying. It, perhaps, was not the most eloquent of phrases, but it’s stuck with me all of my life. Since my earliest holiday memories, I can recall him saying it every single year.
As I got older, I got to announce it for a few Christmases, and eventually, so did my kids (who were far too excited to get to say a minor curse out loud). It became a tradition, and to this day, though he is no longer with us, we still make sure someone gets the honor of stating the now-infamous quote.
What heartfelt, meaningful, and sentimental phrase was this?
“Shot in the ass for another year.”
(I told you it wasn’t graceful.)
But, without fail, at this time of the year, it is the most precise and accurate explanation for how I feel. It’s over. We’ve survived another Christmas. For better or for worse, the celebration is over. Christmas 2024 is in the books.
The phrase brings mixed feelings for me. On the one hand, I am typically quite relieved that the hard work is over. As a mom, (and I know you hear me mamas), there is far too much put on us for a holiday. From baking cookies, to hanging stockings, preparing a massive meal, and wrapping gifts, shopping, cleaning, decorating, socializing, planning, and hosting… the list never ends.
But, then … it does. All that preparation, all that work, all that planning … it’s done in a matter of a few hours. The crumpled wrapping paper goes in the trash. The kids retire to their rooms with new games and gadgets.
It suddenly becomes time to pack it back up, stuff it back in the attic, and wipe the slate clean for a new year. And that half of me becomes quite sad. Winter is, by a long, long landslide, my very least favorite time of the year. There isn’t enough sunshine. There isn’t enough warmth. We’re hibernating indoors, and we are counting the days until spring. OK, at least I am.
And Christmas is that goal. It’s that end-of-year hurdle we must leap over to get to the next year. It is the gathering of friends and family, and the sharing of quality time. It is festive and fun … and then it’s done. It is, as they say, truly “shot in the ass for another year.”
The phase does not get said until the very last present under the tree is unwrapped, until the final guest has enjoyed the feast, until all have had their fun. But it is BEFORE all of that, perhaps the phrase is most important for me to remember.
As many the holiday’s animated movies like to remind us, the season is after all, about something far beyond gifts. It isn’t about a dry ham or return gift receipts. It isn’t about whose gift pile is taller or who had the prettier home décor.
Not to diminish remotely the wise words of my grandpa, I also love another by Dr. Seuss, himself. (And I personally think that Theodor Geisel is pretty good company, anyhow.)
“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before!
‘Maybe Christmas,’ he thought, ‘doesn’t come from a store.
Maybe Christmas … perhaps … means a little bit more.’”
So, whether you prefer the rhyming rhythm of Dr. Seuss, or as I do the far more on-the-nose words of my granddad, the message is one in the same for me. Try not to stress the small stuff. Enjoy the holiday. Enjoy the fights over stocking stuffers. Smile while you sweep up the pine needles … again.
Because before you know it, it’s “shot in the ass for another year.” And you’ll miss every moment.
