It's funny - This is a time of year that is much planned for, much anticipated and much enjoyed, but everyone I speak to is then really looking forward to calming down, eating less and getting the house back to normal almost immediately afterwards!
I love having all my chicks in the nest for a while - not that they are exactly chicks anymore! Our Christmas tree was very wide this year and we really struggled to fit what amounts to six adults in the lounge around it! If it were down to me, I would be clearing away the decorations and giving the house a good clean today, but they're not quite ready yet!
Our 'problem' is that we have Christmas, a birthday, New Year's Eve and another birthday all in the two week period of the school break. This is then followed by another birthday within 15 days of that one. It can seem like a never ending round of celebrating, eating and of course the shopping/spending that has gone on beforehand! I remember one year my son, whose birthday it is between Christmas and New year, was too ill over Christmas to open all his gifts. It took him until well into January to catch up with opening both sets of presents!! Crazy really!
I find myself longing to return to my own gentle daily ebb and flow - pottering about, getting stuff done at my own pace. I have found the excess of spending, eating, packaging, mess, washing particularly stark this year, so I will be in seventh heaven by next week, de cluttering, cleaning, sorting and generally returning to normal!
It has been a lovely Christmas this year - one of if not THE best Christmas we have had. The calmer lead up, the curb on excessive spending, eating less extravagantly, focussing on the little things and the opportunities to craft have all lead to a very mellow Christmas. However, I am very much looking forward to welcoming in the New Year and my first set of goals and new challenges for 2015. Believe me, for someone who is more used to dreading a new year approaching, this is a revelation!
Happy New Year everyone! I, for one, am very excited!
And a very happy new year to you too - my "holiday" has been very much like the ones you used to have with the mad run-up and frenetic rush to get everything done by "the day" but we got there and enjoyed it all! In all the time we have already been off this is the first time I have actually sat down, only because an opticians appointment was cancelled due to his sickness, so every cloud and all, sorry to the optometrist, but as my son is working my daughter and I have taken time out together to just chill and watch a movie, pure bliss but it's hard not to feel guilty about just relaxing so thank you for helping me realise it is ok! And a very belated thank you for the button craft as my class have made many hearts, stars, a snowflake and a figure 8! They loved it and I did too as it was just about within my realms of creativity so thank you once again for your inspiration!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you had a good Christmas despite the hectic lead up and that you have allowed yourself to have an 'almost guilt free' moment of peace and reflection too. We all need them! I'm pleased the button craft worked out too. I have other button craft projects in mind for the New Year which I'm hoping will prove equally easy but effective! Thank you for taking the time to pass on some feed back x
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