The Long And Short Of The Holidays

So…I had this moment tonight, when the kiddos were showered and all snuggly in their pjs, playing in the living room by the light of the Christmas tree, after a steady afternoon of angst-free extra-curriculars, dinner and homework, and I just found myself taking a deep sigh and focusing on the beauty of the moment.

We all know that famous parenting sentiment that the days are long but the years are short.

Well. In my humble opinion, the same absolutely applies to the holiday season from October to December, when there’s so much extra on everyone’s plate.

The days are certainly long, but the season—and all of the beauty and blessings and magic that come with it—is oh-so-short.

I’ve got a few milestone components ahead of us in the coming weeks, and I’m trying so hard to set calm and joyful intentions from the get-go, so I can focus on each of them in their own right.

First up, we’re hosting my side for Thanksgiving, and the biggest bit of excitement is the arrival of older bro and his partner for their first visit since we’ve lived in SA!

It’s insane to believe that we’ve been here nearly three years before they’ve been able to step foot in this infuriating but stuck-with-us-and-us-with-it Money Pit home of ours that we begrudgingly love, ha. The pandemic certainly made plans for them to come see us extremely tricky. So I’m looking forward to having my side of the family—including my 19-month-old niece!—on our turf for a fast and furious few days of fun.

The next major item on our holiday agenda—slated for the week after Thanksgiving—is a little party I’m throwing for my kiddos and some of their school friends.

They’ve each really connected with some new little buddies this school year, and schedules and logistics make it so hard to connect outside of school hours. Believe me when I tell you I’ve had to jump through some hoops to even track down the appropriate contact information to get in touch with parents for this shindig! So God Bless my kiddos’ lovely teachers who have helped on this front, and here’s hoping I can pull it all off and manage to get some new faces over for the Flash Craft Party I’ve envisioned.

Whether we manage to get two or twenty kiddos over, I’ll take what I can get! And I know my babies are excited over the idea of it all, and that’s what truly matters. 

And then rounding out our trifecta of events is the actual Christmas holiday, when we’ll be hosting again, for the hubby’s side.

My kiddos are always so, very excited in a beautiful, this-is-our-home-and-we’re-happy-you’re-here way to have anyone with us, and knowing we’ll be able to do it up in a holly jolly way, with all of the trimmings that we love, and a packed house that is so indicative of the season, is going to be so lovely. 

Now.

Amongst all of the above, we’ve got school performances and associated decorating I’ve volunteered for, neighborhood family and adults-only events, shopping, baking, cooking, cleaning, the final push of the second nine weeks of school and all the dedication it requires, and, well…all of the busyness we ALL wade through during this most wonderful time of the year.

It’s stress.

But the beautiful kind.

And I’m setting my intentions so clearly to try and focus on just one thing at a time, so I can make the most of every, dang bit of it.

As it currently appears, we might end up with a rare slow afternoon tomorrow, and I’m going to really do it up right with the Thanksgiving crafts we often bypass in those transition weeks between Halloween and Christmas. I want to give it its proper due—and enjoy ourselves in the process. :)

I’m so grateful I’ve been able to pace myself with the slew of decorating (indoor and outdoor) that’s now completed, so we’re officially turning our attention to FOOD at this time.

With the hubby’s dairy-free and gluten-free needs, I have my Thanksgiving work cut out for me, but I’m taking that same slow and steady approach, and we made our first big grocery stock-up run today for a handful of the special dietary items that are hard to track down. So I’m feeling like our pace is okay for now, so we might be able to stave off the insanity for a bit longer, ha.



Bottom line: there is a LOT going on this time of year, for EVERYONE, and we all have our joys, stressors, obligations and traditions.

But I want to do my best I maintain a positive attitude and remember what it’s all for.

So here’s hoping I can stick to it.

Happy Tuesday, peeps!

Over and out.