It's the beginning (for those of us who don't start before Halloween) of the holiday season. I'm not sure what that means to you, but to me, a mom, especially a mom who works outside of the home, it means I often feel like I'm dropping the ball on something. I'm forgetting an activity, an event (soccer game, meeting, sleepover, gathering, concert, etc.), and admittedly sometimes an entire group of people to include in something. It's stressful, and daunting, and... overwhelming.
As I drove home after a VERY long car ride last night and noticed our neighborhood decor switched from fall to Christmas lights essentially over night, I felt that stress (pumpkins to Christmas tree stress). Don't get me wrong, I love many things about Christmas, but as the resident "magic maker" in our home, I find myself overwhelmed.
Before I completely spiral into how "behind" our decor is, how there's gifts to buy, and gifts to wrap, gifts to get in the mail, people to remember--- many, many people to remember here's what I know I'm getting right. In a few pictures, it's slowing down.
See the weekend after Thanksgiving I typically dust off my holiday magic wand and put the Christmas sparkle on as much as I can inside and outside of our home. This year I didn't. I took two days and I went away with this free spirit gift of a child that is our daughter. She is exactly as she seems in photograph-- fun, carefree, kind, funny, and an absolute beautiful soul. She reminds me to dance in the aisle at the store, to skip in a parking lot because you can, that it's okay to just sit in a hotel room to do a puzzle instead of going somewhere, to be authentic ALWAYS, and to drink in the little things. Next weekend I spend it with our son at a soccer tournament. While not a slow weekend by any means, I will have moments of opportunity with him and conversations to savor. Because of these days dedicated to our kids, I may not have out our house decor just yet, and certainly not as much as I could. But I'm trying.... I truly am trying.
So, this holiday season, may we give ourselves all grace for mistakes, and delays in decorating and doing what we "should" be doing (I don't care for that word, should). May we breathe, and show each other as imperfectly perfect fellow humans, patience and understanding. It's these valuable, fleeting moments we have to remind us what we "should" be doing. We should slow down, we should not care so much about getting it ALL right. Chances are we are getting some things right after all…. if we just give ourselves enough credit to stop and acknowledge what's right--- it's likely what's right in front of us.
*For more thoughts and musings from Julie (and her husband, Rick) consider joining in on The Victory Couch Podcast https://www.thevictorycouch.com/