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“I’ve always been a rule follower. When they said not to chew gum, I didn’t chew gum. When they said not to use your cellphone, I didn’t use my cellphone. But today, in the spirit of defying expectations, and for perhaps the last time at this podium, I say..."

Why We Stopped Going House to House for the Holidays

And honestly, that day had looked so much different than what I had dreamt of time and time again as I imagined celebrating my son’s first real Christmas.

When we finally came home for the night, it was completely dark. Sutton’s toys were piled up, untouched, in the corner. He didn’t get to open or play with anything that day and he was passed out by the time we got home.

Our house was a disaster because I had rushed to cook and bake everything for each house and didn’t have time to clean before we left.

We also spent an inordinate amount of money on 19 kids, 10 siblings and 3 White Elephant parties.

We were completely exhausted, frazzled and frustrated.

It was in that moment when we both realized that, although we both desperately love our families, we are our own family now. We have to set healthy boundaries in order to invest and nourish this little family we have created — even during the holidays.

Jesse and I have always clung to this verse in our marriage, but somehow forgot to implement it into the holiday season: “Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” Gen. 2:24

We are own family now.

And while it is absolutely crucial for me to teach Sutton that Christmas is about Jesus and loving and serving others, I also don’t want to create strife or forfeit our family principles to people-please or to simply fulfill society’s standard of what Christmas is supposed to look like.

We love being generous and we love giving gifts. It is one of our favorite things to do as a family. I love making all of the holiday food (like our famous cranberry jalapeno dip!)

We also absolutely adore spending time with our families and we look forward to a time of relaxation with them every single year.

But, you guys, when we spread ourselves so thin, neither we nor our families, actually get that relaxation. We are so busy and exhausted that they actually get very little of our energy or attention.

Every family is different and every family has unique boundaries. In our family, we personally still do our best to see everyone because we really do love it.

Lindsey Maestas
Lindsey Maestas
Lindsey Maestas is a Christian based out of Albuquerque, NM. She is a wife to an incredible and loving husband and a stay-at-home-mom to the happiest, most-energetic little boy, Sutton Rylee. She received her degree in Journalism and is a writer for the faith-based lifestyle blog, sparrowsandlily.com

Dad Gets Wrong # Text From 2 Random Dudes at Graduation—His Epic Response WINS the Internet!

Rather than responding with the typical “wrong number” dialogue, Roger made things a bit more interesting—and Twitter can NOT get enough of it.

Mom Watches Son Get Murdered at Graduation—When She Gets a Flashback to 18 Years Earlier, the Truth Hits Her

The same hooded figure had been following him for 18 years. The truth finally hit her like a ton of bricks...

School Forces Student to Take Jesus Out of Graduation Speech, Plan Gloriously Backfires When She Drops This Line

“I’ve always been a rule follower. When they said not to chew gum, I didn’t chew gum. When they said not to use your cellphone, I didn’t use my cellphone. But today, in the spirit of defying expectations, and for perhaps the last time at this podium, I say..."