Slice Of My Life - December
The final month of the year, which came with a lot of reflecting and resting (when I got the chance). Our first Christmas with Evan was perfect, and was the start of many fun traditions to come.
More work on the nursery
In January Evan will move into his own room so it was about time I finally finished decorating. I set up this tipi tent and his favourite woodland animals to made the most cosy reading and napping nook. (however the fairy lights didn’t last 5 minutes with Maisie). I just have one last part to paint, and put up some curtains and the room will all be ready for him. I have managed to sneak a desk in there for myself, sort of a mini arts and crafts station and where I will work when I go back in February. My hopes is that I can put him off to bed in his cot, then spend 30 minutes every night journalling and doing some bits of crafts. Who knows if this will actually happen, but it’s nice to have an ideal evening routine in my mind.
Meeting Santa!
We started the festive activities with a trip to see Santa. Evan loved it, but he did nearly rip Santas beard off! He loved looking at all the fairy lights and sparkles in the grotto. Afterwards we headed onto a tractor ride around the farm and then a lovely lunch in Congleton. It really did get the festivities off to a start and helped me feel excited for Christmas. I have put so much pressure on myself this last few months, and December was no exception. I know Evan isn’t going to remember any of these things, but I wanted his first Christmas time to be just perfect for him.
Christmas Morning
There is no better feeling that heading down the stairs on Christmas morning to see what presents have arrived, however this year I kind of already had a sneak peek at what the morning would look like! It’s safe to say chiristmas eve was a bit more chaotic this year. How do you put this bouncer together? Did we buy any batteries?! Whoops! But once everything was set up and I headed to bed, it was such a nice feeling of anticipation for the morning. We did our usual tradition of watching Klaus whilst having crackers and cheese for tea. Evan was snuggled on the chair whilst the film was on and I couldn’t stop looking over at him thinking how things were so different compared to last year, and how grateful I was that he is now here with us.
Family Time
I loved spending the 4 days over Christmas with our families and really feeling like we are setting some lovely traditions for years to come. There’s Christmas Eve secret Santa, Sausage baps for Christmas breakfast and games time on Christmas night with my mum and sister. I can’t wait to carry on doing these little things as Evan grows, and each year watch new traditions come into our lives.
Looking Forward
2024 is on its way and I have never felt this way about a new year before. Usually i’m filled with motivation to start a fresh, I've got goals upon goals, with tasks on how to achieve each one. But this year I feel like taking things a bit slower and simpler. I have been reading about the wheel of the year and how things eb and flow. This research has paired well with Lydia Millen’s book Evergreen, which I have also started last week. I am going to write a whole post about my ‘words for the year’ and how I am using the wheel of the year to inspire me month on month. At the moment, the season is still in a space of rest and recharging, and I feel like honouring that and not making any huge life goals just yet. Who knows what 2024 will bring, but for the first month or so, we are just staying content in our cosy bubble for a few weeks longer.