A Slow December

Our family has chosen to celebrate this festive season by slowing down. A few weeks ago I sat down to discuss our Holiday plans with Brandon. “What Christmas activities do you want to do this year?” I asked. I went rambling on about how I didn’t think we needed to drive through the Charlotte Motor Speedway Lights again, but maybe we wanted to try the light show in Ballantyne this year. And should I plan to take Felicity to Gingerbread lane again the gingerbread house competition nearby and a number of other events in our area. There’s so many things to do this time of year in Charlotte. There’s almost too much. In one sense it’s nice because not one event is crazy crowded. But at the same time it feels like you’re missing out on something.

So when Brandon said,

“Can we have a slow December and make fires every Friday night and drink cocoa?”

I thought, hmm maybe that’s not a bad idea. What if the end of our year was restorative instead of hectic? He said it in that tone that husbands speak in, you know the one, the wouldn’t it be nice if we didn’t bend over backwards, break the bank? But I’m sure you won’t go for it tone. I breathed an unexpected sigh of relief. It sounded like a nice idea. I even thanked him days later and said, you know what, I’m really looking forward to this slow December idea and I’m glad you expressed your desires for this season. So often as moms we take on the responsibility of making these magical family memories. Who’s to say we can’t make those magical memories at home snuggled up together each weekend? How many families are out there wishing they could slow down at the end of the year instead of ramping up?

Brandon caught me at a good time because I’d just recently been to the store on Saturday which I almost never do. The amount of people there was suffocating and the American consumerism tempting me was really starting to give me the ick. (ick is a term that Zoe used alot and I’ve added it to my vocabulary. When something gave her the ick she’d shrug up her shoulders and shake her head in resistance) I tossed my planner aside and agreed that this Christmas season I would slow down, spend less and focus on my family and home.

The heart of our home during this time is our crackling wood fireplace, where warmth wraps around us nestled on the floor with a cup of hot cocoa in hand. I’ve noticed that the extra time has allowed me to appreciate each magical twinkling light and ornament, reminding me of memories past. Amidst the holiday hustle, our family is embracing slow living. Building gingerbread houses with Felicity, calling Zoe to celebrate St. Nick Day, reading Christmas stories, coloring and making Christmas cards. We’re turning ordinary evenings into extraordinary memories. These moments of togetherness are the true treasures of our slow December.

I still made our Winter Bucket List, (which I do for every season) with a couple events we had already planned, The Nutcracker Ballet & Light the Knights. Mostly the overwhelming theme for our December is getting cozy, looking at Christmas lights and spending time together. You can see our bucket list below to give you some ideas. I treat the checklist less as a here’s all the things we have to get done this season, and more as here’s how we should try to spend our time this season, does what I’m doing today align with my vision for this season?

What’s your family’s Vision for this Holiday Season?