Christmastime. I love and hate it, only because I am a girl of divorced parents. This is nothing new and I have grown up to accept that this was for the better and I honestly wish they would have done it 15 years ago instead of only 11. Nonetheless, my parents have given myself and my brothers a great life and Christmastime was something they made sure was still special for us even if they weren't together. Now that I am older, I have grown to hate a few things because my parents are divorced, but have gotten to really love because they are divorced. I mean sure, individuals with married parents may think these following things too, but honestly, until you really have two families, you don't know the full extent of having to stretch your day as long as possible.

HATE:

1. No Time

I am a firm believer that we need more hours in the day. Maybe add a few more hours between 2 a.m. - 4 a.m. and then another few between 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. I am a crazy woman when it comes to this day because I feel like I am running around with my head cut off. Christmas day is just so short because of the running back and forth to your parents and relatives houses. I always have a hard time choosing where I want to spend my holidays, and it gets a little harder on Christmas since it is a day to be with the ones you love.

I have to be on time everywhere I go and that leaves little time to spend with anyone, but as time goes on, I've established a routine that works best. Christmas Eve and morning at my dads and the rest of Christmas with my mom. Even the morning is so short and the afternoon dinner is sneaking up quickly and before you know it, Christmas is over. Wouldn't it be nice to have one Christmas again?

2. Driving on Christmas

This day leads to so much driving. The holiday season is the worst and I wish I would have never learned to drive. The last thing I ever want to do is drive all over town on Christmas but I sacrifice this time because family matters most.

3. Gift Giving

It's easy to know what your parents want because it's usually whatever they may need around the house or two of something. It's easy to think of one gift but now trying to think of two individual gifts is a whole other level for the child of divorced parents. It's even worse if your parents have re-married because now that basically four gifts to think of. I mean I guess it's glamour shots for everyone.

LOVE:

1. Decorating

This is where I begin to really love having divorced parents because there is twice the excitement about this holiday, despite the few negatives. I get to help decorate the house with lights, pick out a tree, decorate the tree, and wrap presents. TWICE. I mean if you really love Christmas this is a dream and every year I am thankful I am able to spend this time decorating with both my mom and dad, even if it isn't at the same time. I've grown to love the idea of having two separate parents living different lives since each experience, like decorating for Christmas, is special!

2. Food

I pick out such a cute outfit just to change out of it because my pants no longer fit because of all the food I've eaten. Just like Thanksgiving, this holiday is full of food and mostly sweets that create a world of hurt. Nonetheless, I am grateful that I have to opportunity to eat, drink, and laugh with two individual families because this is the time to reflect on the year and be thankful that we can come together. Yes, two dinners may be exhausting but for the sake of being there, I can fit another spoonful of mash potatoes in my mouth!

3. All the love

When I was younger I loved having my parents split because this meant more presents, and of course Dad always came through with loading me up on all the good stuff and mom was mad that she didn't think of that one thing, but, now that I have grown up, I am able to understand that I no longer just have one family that loves me, I have two families that love and cherish me on this day, and everyday. It honestly doesn't matter about the gifts, even though 10 is better than 5, but I'd rather know that they both live their separate lives so they can equally love me the best they can.