We welcomed our newborn baby girl mid-November. In an effort to be intentional about the holidays, I decided on a few priorities. Namely, quality time with family and holiday magic. I yearned for a simple holiday season. Manifesting the feeling of peace and calm, I decided that this is not the year to do it all. Instead of grand gestures, we are finding Christmas magic in the little, mundane, everyday events. The frugal kind. A walk around the neighborhood lights. Sunsets in the park. Outdoor bike rides in the cold. Hot chocolate with sprinkles and mallows. A pile of library books laid strewn across the floor. Et cetera. In an effort ignore the never-ending message that grandeur is what Christmas is about, I wrote a holiday to-NOT-do-list. It helps me stay focused on what does matter. I’ll share in case you are looking for a reminder.
My Holiday To-NOT-Do List
- Holiday cards. The people who we want to update are, well, updated. By the time I get around to them, it’ll be a week’s worth of pleasure. May I suggest a digital text of the freebie kind?
- Shopping in Person. The amount of time it takes to drive to stores, the long lines, and the stressful environment. All of my shopping was done early and online.
- BIG gifts. My love-language is gift-giving, both in receiving and giving. I have a penchant for going overboard. But not this year. Simple boxes of chocolate, home-made holiday cookies, and a much shorter list. We are sticking strictly to immediate family members. My kids are only getting stocking stuffers and one gift from Santa. We did this last year where we gave no gifts from us, and I think it’s a tradition we will continue.
- Extravagant Dinners. I love hosting. I used to host three Thanksgiving dinners in November. This year I did none. For Christmas, we are not hosting friends. And my mom will handle my side of the family. We will have a brunch for Mike’s side of the family. But it entails Cinnabon rolls brought by his dad and an egg quiche from his sister. Our responsibility includes Trader Joe’s hashbrowns, bacon, and chicken sausage patties. Throw in a few English muffins and that’s kinda it. Pizza for dinner (no joke!). Paper plates for all the meals.
- Holiday Events. We aren’t lining up for train rides. I let my parents take Casey to Santa’s Village. There is no picture with Santa. And we skipped the one local market we were going to attend. In lieu are cozy afternoons at home and mornings at the park. We had a lot of time getting accustomed to our new family of four.
- Long work days. We are both on leave during the holiday season. It is such a special time. There is no work or deadline. Usually my job as a dentist is busiest in December because of insurances expiring. I actually get to relax this year!
- Parties. It helps that we are both on leave. There will be no work holiday party. No Friendsmas.
- Vacations. I originally had wanted to go a weekend trip to Solvang with family. But we decided to nix the travel. Logistics are far too many. And the days away are too few. I had to accept this is the season of my life right now. And once I did, it just felt right to be home.
- Excessive holiday decor. We had string lights put up on our eaves on November first. We have an artificial tree in the corner of the living room. And a sock for each person in the house. But other than what we already owned from previous years, we did nothing else. If I had the time, I would plan for more lights. If we had the money, we would nab a few inflatables. If the house had the space, there would be more trees. But there isn’t all of that. Or at least, I don’t wish to give up the peace in order to have it.
- White Elephants and Secret Santas. Need I say more?
And then there’s the pared back:
- Holiday centric kid activities. Besides baking together as a family, there isn’t really much else. Christmas lights on our after-dinner walks yes. All the other events, nah.
- Holiday movies. We still have yet to watch one. But my goal is… ONE.
- Home-made goods. It’s a competition of sorts amongst moms, isn’t it? How home-made something is seems to say how much better it is. But this year, I am going with store-bought.
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
