The Gimmes

Something about this time of year always gives me the "Gimmes".  As in, gimme all the things; I must spend all the money.  This year it seems to be especially bad because it is Lilly's first Christmas and I feel the need to make my house "perfect", whatever that means.  Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram are not helping.  I see people dressing their kids up in super expensive outfits and I feel like I have to keep up.  People are putting up Pinterest worthy trees and I think I have to as well.  It's maddening.
During my maternity leave I had nothing better to do during the hours-long nursing sessions Lilly required, than fiddle on my phone.  I spent countless hours on Instagram and Pinterest and found so many cute shops to follow.  I felt like I "had" to have that $40 Christmas sweatshirt and Lilly really needed that $25 onesie.  Did we really need any of these things? Absolutely not, but I definitely got caught up in a vicious cycle of Mommy blog envy.  Why hadn't I bought my child a $600 stroller?  Did that make me a bad mom?  Heck no!  Plus, that lady probably didn't pay for that dang stroller.  The company gave it to her to shill to newbs like me.  I realized that I was definitely comparing my behind-the-scences life to someone else's highlight reel.  So what did I do?  I hit the unfollow button on all the shops that had the cute clothes that no one really needs.  I signed off of Pinterest and played with my already cute daughter.  I realized I didn't need the crap that everyone was shilling in order to live a perfectly happy life.
As weird as it sounds, I feel as though a weight has been lifted.  I didn't realized that social media could influence me in such a profound way.  I'm sure postpartum hormones didn't help the situation either.  So if you find yourself making a major list for Santa this year, I encourage you to step back and evaluate the things you "need".  There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting pretty things, but don't let the gimmes ruin your holiday season.