When my little boy woke up this morning, he wanted to bake Christmas cookies. He was so excited as he talked about the different kinds of cookies we would make (round cookies first, and then reindeer cookies) and made a list of all the things we needed to buy to make our cookies (pretzels, candy, and chocolate).
And then he started looking through a catalog and showing me all of the fun things he wants Santa to bring him. I stopped to look and talk to him about the toys he was so excited about—and mentally added things to the ever-growing list of things I want to buy him this year. But it's Saturday, and I had a million things to get done. I was booking flights for an upcoming trip, texting family, and planning a party. So I didn't take the time to sit down and look at every page with him. And as I sit here writing this tonight (and my little boy is sound asleep upstairs), I'm realizing we never made Christmas cookies today.
It's so easy to get caught up in the never-ending to-do lists and everyday tasks, especially during the busy holiday season! And even though I'm not the best about keeping our little boy on a perfect routine, I quickly get sucked into my own routine and list of to-dos. But every once in a while, I remember to slow down and just enjoy the moment.
Last winter, it snowed an amazing 13 inches of snow in ONE night in our little town here in the Pacific Northwest. Now, I know this might not be impressive to those of you who regularly wake up to a white Christmas, but for us, this snow day was a holiday of its own! As a PNW native, I know that you have to go outside immediately and play in the snow before it melts. So at 9 p.m., I bundled my little boy up and we went outside to play in the snow, even though it was past bedtime. And that hour we spent catching snowflakes on our tongues is one of my most magical memories with my little man--one of those moments where time seems to stand still as you soak in every little smile, and laugh, and hug!
After we had made snow angels and stepped in every inch of new snow we could find, we headed inside to drink a cup of hot cocoa! Then, since my husband had missed out on the previous night's snow angels, we woke up early the next morning and played in the snow before he went to work! I'm so, so glad that we threw our routine out the window and took the time to make snow angels and build a snowman together; to make these memories with our little boy!
I do have a hard time throwing that to-do list out the window and stopping to smell the roses...or drink the hot cocoa. But as I look back at the four years we've spent with our little boy, I'm also realizing that this is when the happiest of memories are made. In these simple little moments. So this year, I'm determined to take the time to really enjoy the holidays, and instead of seeing my day as a to-do list, I want to see the holidays the way my little boy sees them. I want to have fun as I do my Christmas shopping, and decorating, and baking.
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[…] the holidays, I realized that I was allowing my to-do list to take priority over actually enjoying the holidays and making […]