Latest news with #Maycember
Fast Company
29-05-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
People are commiserating over ‘Maycember': Why this month has families feeling financially strapped
Have you heard of ' Maycember '? According to social media, it's a term that describes the hectic nature and mounting expenses families face around May, particularly parents with children, due to the increased cost of everything from graduation gifts to summer camps and family vacations, which combined with inflation (and tariffs), have made May feel extra expensive, just like the winter holiday season. That's as total spending for college and graduation gifts is expected to reach a record $6.8 billion in 2025, up from $6.1 billion in 2024, according to the National Retail Federation. And U.S. consumer spending was up in May 2024, even as prices remained stable; the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index was unchanged last May but still marked a 2.6% year-over-year rise, according to financial news site Finimize. (On the consumer side, spending increased by 0.2%, maintaining momentum from April's 0.1% rise, aided by a 0.5% bump in personal income.) 'May often feels like a second December because so many expenses pile up at once,' Isabel Barrow, executive director of financial planning at Edelman Financial Engines, told CNBC. Some of those expenses include graduation, Mother's Day, camp, summer travel, and weddings. Some families might also have higher grocery bills when children come home from college to visit for July 4, or throughout summer until Labor Day weekend. And the end of spring brings a flurry of activities that mark the end of the school year and the beginning of summer, which can often require paying up for tickets, gear, or other related expenses, including school events like dance or music recitals, kids' sports tournaments, field trips, and end-of-year projects. But just where exactly did the term 'Maycember' come from, anyway? The word got out after the Holderness family, popular on social media, posted a funny YouTube video that went viral, garnering 270,000-plus views. The family has since posted another Maycember parody. Meanwhile, a number of parents have also taken to social media to post and commiserate about Maycember; a recent Instagram post from Scary Mommy got more than 23,000 likes and even more shares.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
'Maycember' Madness Is Real and Leaving Parents Even More Burned Out
As a mom of six, this month is starting to feel busier than the holiday rush, a phenomenon social media users are calling "Maycember." You're probably seeing a lot of videos online right now talking about parents in sheer survival mode during this time of year. And you're not alone. Who can relate to this review of everything on my calendar for May? Prom for my high schooler, including dress shopping, hair, and nail appointments, plus my other daughter's eighth-grade graduation trip, semi-formal (another dress, more beauty appointments), and graduation ceremony. Then there's my third daughter's dance recitals (yes, that recitals with an 's,' and don't forget her multiple dress rehearsals), plus the girls' end-of-course exams, state exams, and end-of-year celebrations in class and with friends. My elementary schooler has field trip forms for me to sign seemingly every night, even with only three weeks left of school! Then there's Teacher Appreciation Week theme days all week long. Side note: I am so, so appreciative of my kids' teachers, but theme days? Monday, bring in a treat for your teacher. Tuesday, bring them a flower. Wednesday, write a poem, or a riddle, or something. Thursday—wait, what is Thursday? Make it stop. Can't we just show appreciation in a way we see fit and end the pressure to come up with five different gifts from a 6-year-old who doesn't even know what Teacher Appreciation Week is? Meanwhile, my preschooler has water day, and a slew of other spirit days coming up, like pajama day, which is cute, but just something else I have to remember to do! All of this combined with regular swim lessons, tennis clinics, practices, meets, appointments, birthday parties, playdates, and meetings—and celebrating Mother's Day feels like just another task to check off the list. I haven't even mentioned chorus concerts, art shows, graduation parties and gift planning, or shopping for end-of-the-year teacher gifts just weeks after Teacher Appreciation Week, bus driver gifts, crossing guard gifts, etc., or summer vacation planning and last-minute summer camp registration. If someone gets sick or hurt, please, please help me! I don't know how we'll fit in a doctor's visit! Much like the month of December, my packed calendar at the end of the school year has left me feeling like there's not so much joy, as obligation and overwhelm. Instead of cruising into summer with a sense of relief, I'm sweating my way to the finish line—and possibly crying and stress snacking at certain points, too. It's hard to relish in the moments and milestones when your to-do list is longer than your kids' Christmas lists. I'm always thinking about the next function I have to attend, or person to remember to call, or thing to book, or buy. Speaking of holiday gifts, May is also one of the most expensive times of the year. Between purchasing formal wear and writing checks for graduates, buying teachers' and coaches' gifts, paying summer class and clinic registration fees, and making down payments on hotels and booking airfare for summer travel, December seems like a light month! The biggest difference is that you can say 'no' to a Christmas party, but not to your kid's dance recital. Likewise, a holiday gift for coaches feels optional, while an end-of-year token of appreciation doesn't. The good news is that there may be a few weeks after the kids get out of school when we can sleep in before we have to start planning and paying for next year's school supplies, clothes, and schedules. At least, here's hoping! Read the original article on Parents
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
'Maycember' is real: Here's how parents are surviving the chaos
If you're feeling like you're crawling to the finish line of the school year, you're not alone. For parents, May has become the unofficial second December, a month packed with school events, sports tournaments, final projects and celebrations, all jammed into a calendar that seems to be working against you. Welcome to Maycember. Made famous by viral creators The Holderness Family, Maycember captures the frenzied energy of December, minus the holiday cheer and cultural permission to rest. And it's not just a clever name -- parents are taking to social media in droves to commiserate, posting memes, confessions and even countdowns to summer break. A recent Scary Mommy post about Maycember struck a nerve, racking up over 22,000 likes and more than 26,000 shares on Instagram alone. "I hadn't heard the term before, but wow, what a perfect way to describe this whirlwind of a month," Maru Acosta, a mom of two girls ages 6 and 4 in Boca Raton, Florida, told "Good Morning America." "It truly captures the chaos and nonstop pace of May, it feels like December without the sparkle and gifts." Meanwhile, Charlotte Shaff, a mom of two teen boys in Phoenix, Arizona, is well-versed in the term. "I've been using Maycember for years," she said, speaking with "GMA." "In 2022, I even posted 'May is Cray' on Facebook after juggling PTO duties, birthdays, client meetings, track meets and planning Mother's Day for both sides of the family. I was exhausted just looking at my calendar." What makes May so overwhelming? For younger kids, May brings a string of joyful but time-consuming activities: recitals, teacher appreciation week, spirit days and classroom parties. For older kids, it means finals, projects, promotion ceremonies and non-stop sports. Shaff described May as a marathon. "My 8th grader is deep in promotion season, dances, award ceremonies, presentations, and my high school freshman is fitting in studying between weeknight track meets," she said. "They're managing, but they're tired. Honestly, so am I." For Acosta, the May chaos crept in right after spring break. "Between school events, birthday parties and a packed calendar at work, there was no time to reset," she said. Acosta, who works in public relations, added, "We went straight from Easter to Mother's Day campaigns without a break." Surviving Maycember: What's actually working Both moms admitted that perfection is off the table -- and that's actually freeing. Each also offered tips to other parents suffering from Maycember burnout. 1. Let some things go "I've worked through the mom guilt and learned to be OK missing some things," said Acosta. "I can't do it all, but I can be present in whatever role I'm in." Shaff agreed. "Boundaries? What are those?" she joked. "But I do give myself permission to skip non-priority events. That and a DryBar membership have saved me this season." 2. Lean on the village Both families rely heavily on teamwork. "My husband is on breakfast and homework duty," said Shaff. "We have a shared calendar, so someone's always got eyes on what's next." Acosta added, "Delegating has been a game-changer, whether that's leaning on other parents or bringing in freelance help at work. You can't do May alone." 3. Make space for sanity Acosta said she carves out nonnegotiable time for exercise. "It's my anchor," she said. "If I'm grounded, I can handle the chaos better." Shaff said she prioritizes self-care where she can. "One massage or facial a month, and I try not to feel bad about it," she said. 4. Rest where you can, even if it's not much Shaff said her kids are training for track and field nationals in Oregon next month and still have summer classes in June, but she said they're used to the rhythm. "We let them rest on days off and try not to overschedule weekends," she said. Acosta's young daughters, meanwhile, are still in the stage of excitement over pressure, and she said she's savoring that. "They're just counting down the days to camp and dreaming about summer," she said. "It's joyful, and I'm soaking it up while it lasts." Whether you're juggling PTO boards and track meets or kindergarten graduations and birthday parties, Maycember is the season of doing too much with too little time. But the shared experience is part of what makes it manageable, and even meaningful. "Being a mom is always my top priority," said Acosta. "But there are days when work demands more of me, and I've made peace with that."
