Please tell me about your Christmas with newborn twins.

[SashaBreeze]

I am feeling a LOT of momma guilt today and am hoping some of you can help me feel at least like it is normal.

We usually go all out for Christmas.  Not a lot of presents or anything but we always make a bunch of stuff (like salt dough ornaments and paper snowflakes from the ceiling), bake/cook a ton of traditional things, and do the classic activities like going to look at the lights and having an annual gingerbread party.  This year?  Well.... dh did pick up a pre-packaged gingerbread house that I am going to let the kids put together later....

Seriously I have not been able to get anything done,  I keep thinking after this feeding I will...  After I fold this load of laundry I will....  After I finish cleaning up this vomit/poop explosion I will....  But I just have not gotten to it.

So please tell me about your Christmas if your twins were born close to the holidays, surly I am not completely alone????

[4Marmalade]

My twins were more like 6 months for their first Christmas.  To be honest I can't really remember the details of that Christmas.  They're 2-1/2 years old now but add in the older two dc's and the very busy household keeps us on our toes (as I'm sure it does you!).  We do manage to get things done in small chunks and this year we've managed to do a few things.  Decorating cookies with the 4 of them was pretty fun (and messy).  But I have learned that I can't do it all.  I figure my kids would have better memories of Christmas doing a few simple things rather than a ton of things with a stressed out mama.  I was thinking about Christmas dinner yesterday and how we need to plan the menu and then I thought....really....it's not like the kids are all going to gobble up some big fancy dinner.  So, we'll make something nice and simple so I'm not spending all my time in the kitchen.

Don't feel guilty.  Embrace the holidays with your family.

P.S.  The whole "I'll get to it after this load of laundry or whatever" way of thinking will never work.  I still tell myself that and I never get to those things .

Merry Christmas!

[SashaBreeze]

I guess I am alone on the complete Christmas fail.

I took your advice Karen and just let things be for a while yesterday.  The kids put the gingerbread house together while I fed the boys (didn't manage to stay standing long but they had a blast doing it) went ahead and cut snowflakes even though I had a million chores to do...  It still doesnt really feel like Christmas around here but it is a start.... better late than never, right?

[newmommy7-08]

My girls are 4 months and I typically bake a ton, and have presents all bought and wrapped, some things made and wrapped. I have baked NOTHING, made nothing (except a santa face w/ DS) and just wrapped DS's santa presents this morning. We've got teddy bears, wooden teethers, and diaper rash oil for the girls and that's it. LOL We only do 3 presents for the first Christmas (bear, toy and clothing) but still! I still  have to make atleast 2 batches of cookies for my brothers Christmas present, plus 2 snack mixes to put into tins for the places we visit. We have running around to do today, and visiting to do tonight. Usually we don't have to be to IL's tomorrow until 4 but this year they asked us to come over because they bought DS a drum set they are frantic to give him... Thank GOD it is staying at their house!

[skybluepink02]

Our twins were 10 months old their first Christmas, and I still barely got anything done. I am the candy making queen in sour family, and usually do hundreds of prices of candy. That year, I did one batch of peanut butter balls, and one of turtles (favorites of immediate family). Even that was pushing it. I can't imagine doing that much if they were newborns!

[skybluepink02]

Seriously, your job right now is babies. Anything else that manages to get done is extra and you shouldn't expect it of yourself. Delegate if you need to. Order one of those completechristmas meals from the grocery store and call it done. Cut yourself some slack. You have TWO newborns!

[4Marmalade]

Originally Posted by SashaBreeze 

and do the classic activities like going to look at the lights 

Are you going to do this?  This is our night where we put the kids in their pj's, pack some hot chocolate for the older two dc's and do a little drive to go look at Christmas lights.  If all goes well 2 or 3 of them will fall asleep.

[Julia'sMom]

Last Christmas the twins were almost a month old.  Anything that I did not have completed by Halloween (yes, my shopping and wrapping was done by then) was not done.  I relied on family and friends to help out DD1 (3yo).  The only thing I did make it was to the mall so DD1 could visit Santa.  That's it for Christmas for us.  This year is much better.  We're definatley doing the lights and did a gingerbread house (from a kit).  THe cookie baking and all else is definately scaled back, but I have hopes it will return some year. 

[afmommy14]

My twins are still cooking away in my belly this Christmas, but my daughter had her 1st birthday this week. I am to the point now that I look and feel 40+weeks with 3 months to go, and it is starting to get so hard to get it all done- so I totally understand where you're coming from and at the same time I dread next Christmas! I spent all last week fighting through long days and nights of BH contractions while putting together a huge birthday party, then sorting out what would be birthday presents and what would be Christmas presents. I think I may have pulled off mostly everything I wanted to accomplish, but I wish I didn't care sometimes! I hope that pushing myself to get everything done (hand-made Christmas cards, baking cookies for the neighbors, visiting Santa at the mall, putting up & decorating the tree, hanging lights outside, wrapping presents, throwing a huge birthday party with a 3 tiered cake I made myself, and keeping up with the day to day) doesn't make my pregnancy harder, but I'm totally afraid of this being the last year I can do it! Merry Christmas to you, and I hope you get to do everything you wanted!

[SashaBreeze]

Thank you all.

We didn't get to go see the lights, the boys HATE the car and scream from the moment you put them in the car until the moment you take them out, there is no way I was going to brave that.  The older kids say they are ok with it, hopefully they are not just putting on a brave face for mommy.

We are not having a stressful holiday at all, but we just aren't doing much of anything and it makes me sad for my older kids.  Dh and I talked it over and making Thanksgiving dinner ended up being a nightmare for me so we talked with the kids and instead of a traditional meal we are having a taco buffet for Christmas.   I am slightly mortified at the thought but the kids are actually pretty excited about it, got to love kids.

[Julia'sMom]

Good job making it work!  Talk about mortified, our Christmas Eve dinner was McDonalds.  Ugh.  But, it meant a more peaceful evening and I was so overtired that I was about to pass out.  So, we made do.  I do think each year will get a bit easier and you'll add back in the traditions you most enjoy and let the others go.