Dear Parents, Are We are Going Overboard with Holidays?

I vividly remember anticipating getting up early on Easter and Christmas mornings to see what treasures awaited me. The Easter Bunny and Santa always came through and made the day special. What I don't remember were endless parties and pre/post activities associated with the holiday.

My daughter is three and E.B. visited Saturday night. When she woke up Sunday morning, she rushed around looking or eggs and discovered her basket, complete with the hot pink unicorn t-shirt she had her eye on. She was totally ecstatic but the Easter morning festivities came after countless days of parties, community egg hunts, breakfast with the bunny, mounds of candy, and she still has two more egg hunts to attend. And don't think for a second I wasn't scouring Pinterest for the most egg-celent Easter crafts, egg hunt ideas and activities the internet has to offer - because I totally was. And, I felt a tad bit (okay a LOT) disappointed in myself that I didn't get to the glow-in-the-dark egg hunt that apparently makes a person's childhood complete.

Now, please don't get me wrong... I wholeheartedly appreciate her babysitter, grandparents and school celebrating Easter with her and the people who step in and make the holiday special for little kids. As a mom who works full-time, I need all the help I can get. I'm just wondering if sometimes we go overboard. I also wonder if going overboard takes away from the anticipation - and cloud the memories. Childhood in itself is magical. Do we need to fill up every moment of it DOING something or is just being a child enough?

And, I'm just going to throw this out there... do the countless activities take their toll on parents? I know Christmas is totally overwhelming to me. I have a private (and sometimes public) meltdown every Christmas because I inevitably feel like a failure in some aspect of not meeting expectations - essentially" ruining" everyone's holiday and and pretty much my kid's entire childhood.... Right?! Right?! And it seems like every holiday is getting out of hand. We attend at least five trick-or-treat events BEFORE Halloween. You know where all that candy goes? To make a gingerbread dream Malibu mansion. That's one of the Christmas traditions!

Because I'm up on my dye and fragrance free, environmentally-friendly laundry detergent recyclable box,  I'm also wondering what I should do with the influx of candy, plastic trinkets, baskets, and worst of all... EASTER GRASS. Seriously, who thought up Easter grass? That stuff is flippin' awful! My poor vacuum is wheezing. Can you imagine working at an Easter grass factory?

So, what do you think? Am I being a baby and feeling just a tad jealous that I have to share my child's special memory making with the world? Do you think we are overdoing it with holidays or does this make childhood even more special?  I'm kind of new at this parenting thing so any thoughts or opinions are welcome!