While the festive season has once again looked very different (perhaps this will be the way going forward? Or at least parts of it?), I'm still dressing in red and gold. Why not extend the festive cheer well into the new year? I don't usually like the post-holiday slump, so I'm trying to just extend the festive feeling to possibly avoid said slump altogether...
We stayed home and just relaxed and did what we wanted on our days off. Not having any Christmas commitments whatsoever allowed me to fully disconnect, relax and regroup. I checked a few things off my to-do list and it felt good! I'm all for normalizing this type of break during the holidays and carving out time for self-care. I know it's easy to fall into the trappings of family gatherings and what not, but it's also okay to tap out some years and just do your own thing. I love my family to bits, but the travelling, planning, gathering, etc. can be exhausting and tiring. I'm all for taking a step back and allowing oneself to reenergize and start the new year centred and well rested. I personally like both formats, but I think we have to normalize choosing one over the other and respecting those who choose to take a step back. The holidays can be a bit of a rat race and that's not for everyone.
If there's one thing I've learned over the past couple years is that the concepts of "normal" or "normality" are ever-changing and actually not set in stone. To be very realistic, life will never actually go back to the way things were pre-2020. Life as we knew it then has forever been changed and we have to change with it. There is no sense in trying to go against the flow. We've all learned and grown in different ways these last few years so why not embrace that as we move forward? We are often told that we can't change the past, but why do we insist on trying to live in the past? I, for one, am leaning into the change (as hard as it might be at times) and embracing the future. What once was will never be again and the sooner we accept that, the better.
I'll get off my soap box now, but those are just some of my thoughts as we start a new year. I hope everyone's holidays were merry and new memories were made!
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