‘Twas The Week Before Christmas
Twas the week before Christmas
And all through the house
Nothing was ready
Not even close.
Oops.
Long story short - I am not ready for Christmas.
Yes I know that it is in just a few days. The countdown is on. Single digit number of days. And yet here we are, not in the zone.
What have I been able to check off of the normal seasonal checklist? Let’s see… I have put up the tree, and we have even put the lights on it. But… that’s pretty much it. No ornaments, the mantle hasn’t been decorated, the stockings are not hung by the fireplace. I haven’t planned a menu or made Christmas cookies. I honestly don’t even have more than a handful of small gifts purchased, and they are definitely not wrapped.
You’d think, especially if you know how type-A I generally am, that I’d be freaking out about this. And, I mean, yeah, I’m a little stressed.
And also, I’m not actually all that bothered.
This year has been… for lack of a better word… weird.
The world has been overwhelming, to say the least. Social media and 24 hour news cycles make chaos, tragedy, cruelty, and devastation accessible to us at any and every given moment. Everyone expects more from everyone, yet expects to have to give less in return. Everyone I know is tired, burnt out, scared, and overwhelmed. Everyone including me. And it doesn’t help that I’ve spent the last three days sick on the couch.
This holiday season feels different. And I am pretty sure that that’s because it is. The world is a different place than it was even one short year ago. I mean, yes, it’s always changing, and that can be a good thing. But in this very moment, I think the chaos and insecurity that have been flooding our systems has shifted something in many of us. And at this point, I’m leaning into it.
Hear me out. If going all out with decorations, feasts, and gifts is what lights you up, offers you a sense of stability and security amidst all of the madness, I love that for you. And I celebrate that for you. And at the same time, if it feels like too much this year, if the normal activities and traditions feel more like a burden than a blessing, I honor that for you. And I support you through it.
As for me? I think I fall somewhere in the middle of all of that. I am in a place where my routines are grounding me, but the regular traditions are falling a little flat. The lights on the tree make me smile, even without the ornaments. My loved ones know that I want to spend time with them, and that maybe that is the real gift, wrapping not required.
For me, the holiday, any holiday honestly, is a day on the calendar. And it’s great to have dates set aside for people to come together and share moments, memories, traditions, and celebrations. But it’s also… a day. And if the festive spirit hits me a few days earlier or later, or if I feel like decorating for a random Tuesday just because, if I decide that some other date is the one that feels right for me to shower trinkets and love on those most dear to me, I think that’s okay too.
The world is chaotic. We have seen too much. We know too much. We are feeling too much. So if this holiday season doesn’t feel normal to you, that’s because there’s nothing normal about the world we’re living in.
But the best part is, there is still joy. There is still love. There are still reasons to celebrate.
So do it up however feels right to you. Go all in, or create something new. I think that’s beautiful. And I will celebrate that.
So let me start this over again, once more, from the top:
Twas the week before Christmas
And all through the house
Everything felt different
And that was okay.