I hope you all had a lovely Christmas. Ours was very lowkey and I couldn’t be happier about it. We enjoyed the beautiful weather that Wyoming blessed us with and spent the day playing with every single toy and gadget the kids got. We always wake up early on Christmas so we can get our coffee and make the kids their hot cocoa. We did that as usual this year, but this year was bittersweet for us.

As I was sitting on the couch, snuggled up with my cozy blanket and my corgi, I couldn’t help but think about how we are nearing the end of our Christmas mornings being like this. Reaghen knows the real truth behind Christmas magic, and I’m sure Barrett isn’t far behind her. Soon, those little people won’t really care to wake up with the sun to see what Santa brought them. They’ll know who put the presents under the tree, and they’ll have all the expectations that come with teenagers. We may have to share them with boyfriends and girlfriends, or the newest movie coming out. That’s a hard pill to swallow.

In that moment, I wondered how many other parents were feeling those things at the same time I was. I hope that you all take time to enjoy these moments, because there is a time limit on them. We will look up one day and we will be the parents of teens and we will be wishing for wrapping paper all over our house, early Christmas morning excitement, and the looks of joy when they open those gifts. Soak it in. Do this everyday. We are so busy shuttling back and forth to school and sports, packing lunches, keeping laundry caught up, that we tend to forget that one day we won’t have that.

As always,

Stay strong mommas.

Xoxo

Becca

Covid…. something that every person on the planet is dealing with. Combine the scare of that with the usual stress of the holidays and you get…. grief. I was telling my husband just the other day that I miss this time last year. We were planning our annual “friends-giving” and shopping for our friends and family WITHOUT MASKS! We were blissfully unaware of what 2020 had in store for us. *see the attached picture of my sweet corgi, who I sware KNEW what was coming 🤣

The disruption of our holiday season is truly like a grief process. I am so mad that I can’t get my friends together to celebrate. I also went through a denial phase where I thought, maybe if the weather is nice we can cook outside and all wear masks. The truth is, you may have to go through your own process to start looking at this season as a blessing in disguise. Something that might help… create some new traditions.

I came up with a list of the things that might sound fun to you!

1. Ask all the people in your household to name their favorite dinner dish and dessert. Spend Christmas eve or New Years eve creating those foods together for one big “melting pot” feast!

2. Create handmade Christmas gifts for each other. (I got a new vinyl cutting machine this year, obviously early, so everyone on my list is getting at least 1 of my creations!)

3. Spend your holiday taking turns watching your favorite Christmas movies, and writing letters to friends and family!

4. Host a virtual “friends-giving” or New Years party! Their are plenty of games that work well on video calls!

5. Learn a new skill or pick up a new hobby that you can do as a couple/family. For us, we chose creating coffee mugs!

These may be up your alley, or they may sound lame. Whichever your feeling, I understand! The grief process is different for everyone and we don’t get to judge that. Remember that when you are talking to friends or family that are struggling this holiday season. We are all trying our hardest to get through this pandemic with our sanity in tact. If you’re feeling alone or struggling, don’t be afraid to reach out to someone! I’m always available!

As always,

Stay strong mommas!

Xoxo

Becca