Day #299: A Review of Christmas

 Let's see now, where were we?

Oh, yeah, Christmas is exhausting.

It was a lovely holiday all told. We were able to go to outdoor Christmas Eve services with my dad and then take a bunch of bad pictures by the tree because we were trying to take them quickly and get masks back on. Christmas Day we did the morning thing, James slept until 6:40 and made it all the way to 7:45 before he woke everyone up, so that was amazing. I had breakfast in bed for him and we watched White Christmas while we waited. We had Zoom chats with family during the day and the kids got properly spoiled and we haven't been able to get the living room properly cleaned up since although God knows we've tried. And Josh made us delicious food. So that was good.

What I want to remember...James wanted a music box so Santa found a Star Wars music box...unlicensed Etsy merch FTW. And I think that was his highlight. I wrapped up gloves for both of them to unwrap Christmas Eve morning (so they wouldn't freeze at church) and I think Christmas Eve morning gifts might be a new thing. Max was convinced Santa was going to bring him "two presents"...and Santa DID...and he loved them! I'm also so much the mom...when we were wrapping Josh pulled out video games and building blocks and I had shirts and socks and gloves and jammies. I mean, I bought them some fun stuff, too, but I am very much the mom in this scenario. I got Josh a framed photo of him throwing James over his head in the lake a few summers ago. Lockdown has been tough but I want them to both remember that moment, and it made Josh teary so I won. And mama? Mama got vacuum attachments and a new phone mount for my car and headphones and aprons and such. And I was happy. 

Today is Christmas day 5. The leftovers are pretty much gone now...used the last of the chicken in a stir fry last night and the cookies are very picked over. I'm even starting to run out of almond roca which is what Santa brought mom. James's new workbench that Daddy put together for him has gotten almost constant use and he is forever making new Mario Maker levels. The rest of his stuff he mostly hoards...I got on his case for carrying around a box full of just...tiny pieces of stuff...today and spilling it all over creation. My child the hoarder.

Yesterday was beautiful so we took a bit of a road trip up to Snoqualmie to see the trains...a fairly standard road trip these days as there's lots of outside stuff to look at up there. Josh is off work this week. I'm trying to make this week relaxing and not turn it into project central, so we'll see how we do. It's Tuesday. I want to impress on Josh that if he doesn't get much done in the next few days besides rest and play with the kids...it will be okay. Honestly, this week between Christmas and New Year's has always been one of my favorites of the year...all of the festive, none of the stress. 

I'm feeling a little restless and stir crazy. I might need to go out tomorrow and take just a Mama walk if it doesn't pour rain. I've been reading a lot and playing with kids a lot, haven't done much writing, this is really my first writing in a few weeks, so maybe that will help. I often work a lot this week, I think I'm REALLY missing work. The loss of my job has been a small loss compared to everything else this year but it's one I feel for sure.

Been trying to spend more one on one time with Max. I'm sad he won't get as much of that....this should have been the year with James in school and him not old enough for school but old enough for swimming and toddler gymnastics and all the things. James was asking me to tell him stories today about when he was small and it made me sad for things Max won't get to do. Max doesn't mind, though. He loves being home with his brother and he doesn't miss it. He's a laid back just in it for fun kid. I like that about him. 

So yeah, sliding slowly towards the new year. I hate the New Year's holiday but I like Christmas, so trying to do the full 12 days and not worry about the new year nonsense. My only resolution is to be gentler with myself.

Media...dude, I don't even know. I've been participating in this 15 day long readathon so I have been reading a ton. Some highlights: Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey was DELIGHTFUL...lesbian and nonbinary librarians fighting facisim in a 175 page near future dystopian novella??? Um, yes please! I finished listening to the All-of-a-Kind family series on audio and it was so delightful and now I'm listening to James Baldwin's If Beale Street Could Talk, which I read in high school and haven't read since...it's so good, one of my favorite classics. Yesterday I started reading a new middle grade by a local author called Lupe Wong Won't Dance and I adore these characters now. I've been watching more Wonder Years reruns and plenty of movies...the very silly Kristen Chenowith Netflix film called Holidate helped me fold laundry yesterday and I watched Hulu's The Happiest Season which I may have talked about already...it was okay but really I just wanted her to run away with Aubrey Plaza. On Monday night Josh and I finally watched It's a Wonderful Life which I always want to see at Christmas but learned I no longer own for some reason so had to get from the library and today I picked up While You Were Sleeping which I always like at the 12 days of Christmas. 

Today I'm grateful for chocolate & peanut butter & toffee in all kinds of great combinations, the library, my kids being somewhat independent, clean laundry, time off, lights, festivity, and health.