Happy December! As everyone is commenting and perhaps lamenting, I can hardly believe it is December and nearing the end of 2016. We’ve put our Christmas tree up and are slowly decorating. I am reminded yet again how slow things go with an infant. Life is composed in 10-15 minute intervals of feeding, bouncing, napping, resting, accomplishing something (maybe), staring into space and forgetting 90% of adult thought processes. Today we were greeted by our first real snow of the year– and I mean year, not just season. The city rejoiced and all I wanted to do was take my daughters and delinquent puppy to go play in it. We managed to do so yet not until 5:30pm. Why? Why did it take so long to go play in the snow? Because, there were things to do. A long, long to-do list of life to take care of. We all had meltdowns. I am feeling incredibly under the weather and the weight of three+ months of sleep deprivation is weighing on my soul. I felt compelled to do some tidying– which, by the way, hardly made a difference in our disaster zone of Christmas decor and baby paraphernalia everywhere. Essentially all of these errands I felt I had to accomplish today weren’t really essential at all. I put all of the shoulds and have to’s ahead of what is truly important, especially this time of year: spending quality time with my family, making memories, and participating in meaningful activities with my daughters. So here is my new December To-Do list of all the things I hope to accomplish this month that will hopefully create fun and happy memories.
December To-Do List
1. Drink decadent hot chocolate with Waverley. Let her pile on the marshmallows, drink from a glass mug, and not worry if it will affect her breakfast/lunch/dinner.
2. Kiss Nate under the mistletoe, even if I haven’t brushed my teeth or showered, even if I am wearing a milk-stained nursing tank top, and especially if Waverley is watching.
3. Make snow angels with Waverley when she asks, even if I just blowdried and styled my hair.
4. Take Howie for long walks in the snow despite how tired and exhausted I am, because this poor middle child needs some attention!
5. Let Waverley pick out her Christmas outfit, photograph coordination be damned.
6. Spend an afternoon snuggling with Magnolia on the couch watching the snow fall and not feel bad about it.
7. Spend an entire 24 hours off of my phone– no Instagram, texting, or checking email. It all can wait.
8. Let go of perfection when hosting Christmas Eve dinner. Enjoy people’s company and not stress over the table setting or meal.
9. Take a sleigh ride downtown.
10. Maybe a dog sled ride, too.
11. Try really, really hard not to feel inadequate when scrolling through people’s Instagram feeds.
12. Resist cringing when decorating gingerbread houses with a baby and a toddler.
13. Forgive my postpartum body for not fitting into last year’s holiday attire.
14. Allow myself to cry a bit when I remember my dad’s annual role in our church’s Christmas Eve mass: he’d dress up as Santa and kneel in front of baby Jesus. He was the sweetest.
15. Rejoice in the magic of first Christmases and starting new traditions with new additions.
Happy holidays everyone!
