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Ah, the holidays. The most stressful, er, I mean JOYOUS, time of year! I don’t know about you, but my life is nuts. Between work and the kids and the house and the butt wiping and the dinner cooking and the dish washing and the laundry and the more laundry and the more laundry, I’m at capacity. Some days I truly don’t think I can handle another thing. So adding the holidays, and all the tasks that comes with them, on top of my already full plate is enough to send me over the edge. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the holidays. It’s a wonderful time of year. I just wish I had some elves to help me get it all done.
And apparently I’m not alone. Responsibility.org, an organization that promotes making responsible choices around drinking alcohol, did some research and found that the holidays, while wonderful, can be incredibly stressful. For moms in particular. Because we’ve got four billion things to do to make the “holiday magic” happen. They also found that one of the unhealthy ways a lot of us cope with the stress is by drinking more. And unfortunately, some parents even drive with their kids in the car after a few too many bevvies.
This issue hits close to home for me because when I was a little girl, my father used to drive drunk with me in the car. I remember zooming through the dark, twisty roads of Vermont gripping onto the side of my seat praying we wouldn’t crash. Praying we’d make it home alive. I begged him to slow down. Asked him to be careful. But he just brushed me off and there was nothing I could do. I couldn’t drive. I couldn’t call a cab. I was a little kid and I was helpless.
I don’t want any child to ever feel the desperation I felt in those moments. So I’ve decided to give back and team up with Responsibilty.org to spread the word about responsible drinking this holiday season. Sure, have a glass of champagne to toast the holidays. But please, don’t have several and get in the car with your kids like my father used to.
Obviously I’m still here. Nothing happened. I was lucky and we never got into an accident. But one of my husband’s family members was not so lucky. She was hit by a drunk driver and died at a very young age.
So when Responsibility.org approached me and asked if I wanted to team up with them and make a funny video about holiday stress I was like, “YES!” You know me, I’d rather laugh than cry any day.
So TADA! Here’s my latest parody! Introducing “The Holidays Are Hell” set to the tune of “Jingle Bells!” ENJOY! A big thank you and shout out to my friends and family who helped me with this one: Aaron Fagerstrom videographer extraordinaire, Jacquie, Liz, Beatmaster Z PhD with his mad break dancing skillz, James, Teacher Cathy and her husband Robert who totally stole the show this time, Gabe and all the adorable life suckers. You guys rocked it! ENJOY! And please share with all the stressed out mamas and papas out there this holiday season!
Here are the Holidays Are Hell lyrics if you want to sing along!
Happy Holidays! xo, Deva
#HolidayResponsibly
