Has it really been a week since I posted? That just goes to show how out of the writing habit I truly am ... that time slips by and I don't even realize. I will say I made progress this week in that I started to THINK about writing, again. Like, how can I? Where will I? When will I be able to, again?
I have built lots of pressure for myself, again, this December. I have resolutions spiraling through my mind all day, and all night. Both for what I want to achieve this season, and for what I hope to walk away with as new, good habits for next year.
I'll start with saying that I will write again every day. Just like I have to get up and just force myself to work out now that I'm not getting ANY exercise.
For now, the next 25 days-plus are about one thing: Celebrating.
One of the awesome things about having the girls in school is that they have become so much more aware of the world around them. Perhaps it's the age, but there's no way we could have taught them as much as they know now, including their fondness and belief in (pretend) ghosts. The week after Halloween had me shaking in my heels when they were informing me throughout the day that there were ghosts, "Over there."
We hung an advent activity calendar on our mantel yesterday just like this one -- well, close. And, inside each stocking is an activity that will hopefully help us all enjoy this month a little more carefully and slowly. It is about the season -- not about the day, or the gifts or even the old guy with a beard. It's about us -- our family, the four of us.
And this year I get it. I finally understand my place, my roll, our purpose here. For the longest time, I've been trying to find happiness in other people when the holidays rolled around -- worked our schedule around theirs to be together, to make people happy. In every other aspect of my life, I create my own path and yet happy holidays always have been a chore.
No more.
This season, I finally understand that even the holidays are up to me. Even Christmas. Even Thanksgiving. Even Valentine's Day. Even Memorial Day.
I'm not a little girl any longer and everything has changed, including me. I am the mommy of two little girls who are so excitable right now that even the fact that I'm driving the car makes Jadyn yell with enthusiasm.
"You're driving, Mommy!!!!"
So, it's easy -- rather cheating, actually -- to make this Christmas the one to remember. The one where I finally grow up and be The Mom and take charge of the holiday spirit.
How will we celebrate? Each day a card in the stockings will read something like this:
- Play Christmas music every morning and sing songs
- Have a tea party with scones and tea
- Make Christmas crafts such as this one
- Bake cookies, and deliver them to neighbors
- Go to a lights festivals
- Camp out by the tree,
- drink hot chocolate
- and read our Literary Advent books.
- Paint our toenails
- Making handmade holiday cards, and wrapping paper
- Wear red and green
- Cover pretzels with drippy, gooey chocolate
- Star gazing and drinking hot chocolate for Winter Solstice
Thank you for visiting today.
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4 comments:
This is great. I agree that when you become a parent, you see holidays in a whole new light. I love your advent activities idea.
We're hosting a visiting elf again this year. He seems to find ways to play all over the house at night and the kids, even though they're pretty old, still love to find him every morning.
Don't put too much pressure on yourself to write every day. I'm not convinced myself that discipline/fun balance to mean every single day.
A great post... Good things to think about.
A few of our must do activities these Christmas holidays will include.
spend more days at the beach.
have more BBQ's.
invite other families over for the BBQ's.
Don't cook a hot meal for Christmas day (it's just too darn hot to be eating roasted anything).
swim lots.
have picnics with left over Christmas food.
Try and make as many Christmas gifts as possible.
Oh my goodness -- I have barely begun to think about maybe pulling out some Christmas decorations. I don't know how you do it! Sometimes I feel guilty about my lack of planning toddler-activities.
I'm making my own Christmas cards this year, they're coming along nicely so far. Sounds like you're going to be having a wonderful Christmas season with the girls :)
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