December merriments are in full swing, and I’m trying my hardest to really chose the events that bring joy and skip the stuff that just adds to the stress. Lord knows this is a busy time to be a working parent.
After being pretty cooped up the last two years (in an abundance of caution for Nadia and out of consideration to the patients I serve), it has felt really nice to do “normal” stuff this season. So far we saw the Christmas lights at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, watched the Christmas Parade (a big hit even in the rain), strolled through the Jefferson Hotel to admire the really big Christmas tree, went to Yuletides at Agecroft Hall, and decorated sugar cookies. Seeing tacky light houses and making salt-dough ornaments are still on my bucket list for the season.
The hustle and bustle leading up to Christmas has a really different vibe as a single person vs. a couple vs. a parent to a young child. The Christmas caroling event in Church Hill was always one of my favorite Richmond traditions, and I looked up the details in hopes that I might go with friends this year. Turns out, it’s just really hard to find the motivation to go to an event that starts at 7:30 on a Friday after working all week and mom-ing through dinner time with a toddler. Instead, that evening, I enjoyed drinking eggnog with Daniel and watching Nadia play with her Little People Nativity. I look forward to being able to introduce Nadia to the caroling event in a few years when hopefully I’ll be less sleep deprived and pushing bedtime back to 10 will be no big deal.
I suppose that’s one lesson I’m learning in this season of life– accepting the gifts and challenges that come along, knowing full well the balance will change soon enough. There’s so many wonderful celebrations with a toddler, such as seeing Nadia delight in turning on the Christmas lights each morning, kissing one of the inflatable penguins in the front yard, and licking all the sprinkles off the cookies. Yet, I envy the free time I had in my earlier life. In year’s past I would have mapped out several cookie recipes so that I could deliver beautiful cookie trays to coworkers and family. Oh, the luxury of having hours to bake cookies while watching Love Actually!
Of course, I’ll probably still bake a batch of cookies and will enjoy letting Nadia help. I’ll realize that I can always make a “Christmas cookie” in January or February when I have an itch to bake during Nadia’s naptime. With any luck in another decade she will want to join me in the kitchen for a marathon of Christmas cookie baking.
For those who are Catholic, the gospel readings in advent often center on the theme of waiting– waiting for our savior to be born. This year I’m realizing that no matter what the season in life- we are all waiting. Waiting for the burdens of this world to be lifted from us. I can only imagine in heaven there will be endless hours for elaborate cookie baking, afternoons of window shopping in quaint shops (vs. 2-day delivery from Amazon), the snuggliest blankets for Christmas movie marathons, and endless visits with family and friends. Until then, I’ll do my part to accept that a “good enough” Advent and Christmas is plenty good enough.
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