Christmas is NOT cancelled!! It makes me so sad to hear how some will not be celebrating, because "there's no point". There is a point and this week, we are going to get good and Christmassy and I am going to share what we are doing to have extra spirit during the holidays.
I am going to tell you something - I am actually excited for this Christmas. Kind of like other reflections COVID has forced upon us, I had a big one on Christmas. I always loved the Christmas season. I love the music, smells, hustle and bustle and I LOVE giving gifts (it's one of my love languages). Here's the thing, after having kids, I started to get more anxiety around the holidays. It wasn't because of my kids or anything like that, it was the pressure of what/where we would be for the holidays. Don't get me wrong, it's great to get together with extended family, but I realized that after 14 years, I do not have traditions for my little family. You see, we always go somewhere, to another person's house to experience their traditions. Growing up, we had a special Christmas Eve and a meal that was prepared each year. I loved that, but I also realize that I don't have that for my own children.
So, this year, we will not be rushing to someone's house. We will not be driving 6 hours to Calgary with a car full of gifts (trying to ensure that Santa still can find us) only to turn around 2 days later and drive 6 hours home and get right back to work. Again, I love seeing extended families, but I think it's time that we make some traditions for ourselves. We can still make our rounds of visits, it just doesn't all have to be jam packed into 2 days. This year, I am going to slow down and just enjoy my little family and make some new traditions.