Trying to Find My Christmas Spirit

I have to admit that November’s NaBloPoMo wore me out a little bit. On more than one occasion I compared it to running (and finishing) a half marathon and that analogy is one I keep going back to because they really are very similar. For example, I’ve hardly written on my blog at all since the end of November and I’m calling it recovery time, just like you need after running a big race. Now I’m probably taking a bit more time to recover from NaBloPoMo than I did after the half marathon, but writing every single day was tough. Don’t get me wrong because I loved the challenge, but I can easily say I’d much rather run every day for a month than write, mostly because running helps to clear my mind rather than tire it out.

There’s another reason I haven’t written here very much and that’s because I’ve been feeling a little blah and lacking in holiday spirit. We’ve put up our tree and decorated it and I’ve even done a great deal of my Christmas shopping, but some moments I just don’t feel it. It could be that one of the people I need most is absent from my life or it might just be that it’s winter and the lack of Vitamin D is taking a toll on my mood, but I’m trying really hard to feel excited and festive for my kids’ sake. They deserve the cheeriest version of me, which is why I did something yesterday that I haven’t done in many years. I made a Christmas Countdown chain to hang on the wall. Now this could bring about a great deal of anxiety and panic because there is still so much to do before the big day, but it can also bring about child-like anticipation and I’m hoping for a perfect balance of the two. Basically Nick casually mentioned that we needed a countdown on our wall and I ran with it. While he and Cody were at school I cut paper into strips, I colored with crayons, and I found the perfect place to hang my crafty reminder of such a magical holiday. And it felt good.

I might not be belting out Christmas songs just yet or walking around in a Santa hat, but I’m getting there because this truly is the most wonderful time of the year and I plan to savor every moment with my family.