I have been a little “blue” this holiday season. Not sure why. Well, that’s not true, I do have a few reasons. Losing two matriarch’s in our family has kind of put a haze over traditions, and staying “on budget” in a big way can also dampen the excitement.
And I hadn’t done much baking.
Normal years I would be whipping up hundreds of truffles to share at family events and such. This year, we are on our own (and there is NO way I am having hundreds of lonely truffles in the house)
And this is the first year in a LONG time that I have worked this much during December, and ditto with hubby. It’s weird, and different and I always have a hard time adjusting to different things.
Except working in December is kind of awkward and uncomfortable since NO ONE really “works” in December. Work in December doesn’t flow like the other months, it all seems a little desperate and “Why are you out making holiday wreaths instead of pitching me” kind of thing.
And the kids. They just seem to be around a lot these days. And they are so blinking happy. The sing carols, do puppet shows and ooze holiday cheerfulness.
I know. Awesome. (note sarcastic writing style)
And they have been harassing me to bake, bake, bake. And craft, craft, craft (note: I am NOT crafty)
And I finally submitting.
I baked.
We whipped up a batch of basic gingerbread cookies, grabbed a pack of $2.49 cookie cutters and a few bags of treats and we “crafted” those cookies until we could bake and craft no more.
And … it worked.
We had holiday music playing, there was the smell of gingerbread in the air and suddenly the kids carols weren’t so obnoxious.
It’s like any of those things (exercise, sex, eating celery) the more you do it, the more you want it.
Maybe Holiday Cheer is a habit we need to get into more? Perhaps dousing ourselves in happy holiday thoughts and activities will bring us out of the Blue of Christmas, and into the happy?
So, we shall go on baking (and in january I shall go on exercising) and I shall submit to the holiday and trust that that will be ok.
Because soon it will be the chaos and panic of January where everyone plays catch up, and starts “FRESH” for another year.
And the kids will be too busy to bake cookies with me then, won’t they.