Yeah, I did it. I’ve seen a few others have done it already too.
Shockingly, I haven’t encountered a single nay-sayer; except for my husband who abhors positioning each branch to suit my every whim. Regardless, a lot of people are saying it, and I did too once the pine goddess was standing in our living room: I legitimately felt better, and cheerier, once I saw the lights twinkle.
That feeling happens every year, but I believe it was a little stronger this time.
I do usually like to wait until after Thanksgiving to start adorning the house with metallic glitter and jingle bells. But, as with all of us, I’ve had an especially difficult year, (I won’t get into that now, I’m trying to cheer you up!) I wanted to enjoy everything that the holiday season brings just a little bit longer than usual.
I am a practicing Catholic, so it’s not just about Santa and presents in our house. We set up our Nativity, and I teach my son who all the statues are. We read a book about Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem at night, but we also read about Santa in the morning. And you can bet we’ll be putting our boots out on the eve of Dec 6. to celebrate and learn about Saint Nicholas.
The point is, and I think you’re picking up on it: WE ALL COULD USE SOME FESTIVENESS.
The holiday season, no matter what you practice, is about love, and giving, and thankfulness, and family. I know we’ve all been enjoying a lot of our families these past eight months, but it’s all going to be different starting next week.
I come from a large Italian family. We eat. We eat a lot. We don’t just have turkey and stuffing, and all the regulars. We have a whole FIRST meal at noon with antipasto, endive soup (aka Italian wedding soup) penne with meatballs and sausage, and of course, bread. AND THEN we eat the “American” meal for dinner. Also, with bread. We’re all ready to explode or sleep, or both, by bedtime. But all the talking, laughing, and card playing in between is what I will miss. I might even miss the football on TV all day (after the parade of course) that my Uncle Rod is desperately trying to watch.
My husband comes from a smaller family – actually I shouldn’t say that…it’s just not Italian. So, while he too will miss being with his family, he’s seemingly unphased by this change that requires us all to keep our distance to stay health, while I’m struggling. He’s looking forward to having smaller celebrations with our little nuclear family and taking in the experiences of our son ripping open gifts and playing with all the boxes for the first time.
I’m sure once I’m in the moment I will be thankful for it all, however, now I fear my anxiety is getting the better of me.
And what does a girl do when she’s stressed? She shops! And boy did I bargain shop this year.
Part of the reason I set up our tree early is so that I could take our annual greeting card photo earlier to take advantage of a 50 percent off coupon from my favorite online photo printing company! Midway through November, I was 80 percent done with all the shopping for my nieces and nephew. That alone takes a lot of stress out of the month of December.
But now, I just have to stop.
Stop and think about my son. Who will be 21 months old this week, and is blissfully unaware of the chaos in the world around him, and worries most about the location of his Hot Wheels garbage truck. When I hear Glora Estefan’s I Want to See Christmas Through Your Eyes, I am reminded that I need to do just that.
Take in every moment. Don’t focus on needing to shovel the snow that just fell, make a snowman instead. Don’t worry about the mess in the house, make a game of cleaning it up – when you get around to it. Don’t worry about the laundry, have a pajama day and eat breakfast in bed.
Being an adult can make things seem so much more overwhelming. If we simply focus on the fleeting moments that we can miss in a blink, maybe we can all get through this a little easier.
I will probably still over-cook for our family of three, as a good Italian was taught to do, but I’ll try not to spend all my time in the kitchen and enjoy those small moments because I don’t know when I’ll get to enjoy them again.
So, go ahead and put up whatever festive decorations you do this time of year, and milk it for all its worth.
