It's December! Christmas season is upon us in full force...Or is it?
For some reason (ahem 2020), this holiday season is fast approaching similar to any other yet the sense of urgency and the Home Alone esque anticipatory rush that precedes arguably
the most exciting and simultaneously stressful holiday of the year feels like it's slowed down and been muted.
The noticeable quiet has no way of overpowering or drowning out the hubbub of Christmas parties, walking decent treats next door to the neighbor, or (perhaps the most missed) warm holiday hugs that fill your cup to overflowing.
In our family, it's doubly affected by a change of seasons for an entirely different reason. In March, we lost my Grandpa (Papa), and though the season has felt odd entirely, it hits differently walking through TJMaxx finding things he would have LOVED.. and I no longer need to buy. We do have a couple of tribute presents, but more on those after Christmas morning.
So, here we are, sanitized and solitary (sounds like a terrible Netflix documentary). I figured, let's bake. Baking in our house is a bit of an undertaking because we choose not to eat dairy, wheat, or (most of all) processed sugar.
My Brain, "Let's find a holiday recipe & feed some nostalgia"
The Internet, "Your nostalgia lies in white sugar."
My Brain, ".... .... malfunction".
After we blew away the smoke from my brain overheating, we found a recipe.
All ingredients out, I'm ready to savor this moment!
Oldest Child: Everything is better done at warp speed, forget savoring!
[Hands in everything, disorganizing the layout of ingredients].
I was ready to put the things away and try again another day when I'd either had more sleep or felt like I could deadlift 200 lbs. Instead, I explained why it was fun to take our time and why I enjoyed spending the time with her.
I am nothing if not efficient. My aim on a daily basis is to conquer the world in an organized and efficient manner. Some days, I feel like superwoman. Other days, I have to remind myself that I have had two children- sometimes superwoman deserves an extra cup of coffee and to breathe for a moment.
Here's the important part: watching her face light up at being told she's not only worth the messy investment, but additionally that I enjoy making this process longer (read: not about efficiency) was worth the whole ordeal.
So, an hour and 5 dozen gingersnaps later, the speed at which we went had nothing to do with it.
It's that we're here.
We have the chance. We have the opportunity. That's what I want to savor, the time we have been afforded. Because, if Papa were here, he'd probably throw a little extra sugar on the floor, chuckle, lick his fingers and ask how much longer until the cookies are done.
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