This December is a bit quieter in our town, in our home. No rush of company and holiday parties. No need to schedule our town’s Light Night, Jingle Bell parade, or Shop Hop. There's no scramble to make extra products to sell at a list of markets and shows throughout the season. There is no race to the 25th and the New Year.

Enjoying the Pause

Instead there are quiet evenings, long meals, and lingering conversations. Sometimes a card game after dinner. A movie night during the middle of the week? Why not? There has been time for walks in our local parks and sunset drives, weekend baking sprees, craft projects, and movie marathons.

Celebrate the Unexpected

Instead of filling our days and rushing through the month, let’s take advantage of the pause and go for a walk in the middle of the day, bake cookies for a neighbor that we haven’t seen in a while, or head out on the night of the solstice to see the Christmas Star as Jupiter and Saturn align. Let’s take time and celebrate the unexpected, the unplanned, and the unhurried.

Memorable Not Unusual

This has been an unprecedented year and this is already an unusual holiday season. But instead of our usual Christmas, I am making it a memorable one. We are creating new memories, trying new things in the new schedule we’ve been given, and intentionally enjoying this moment in our lives, because we honestly don’t know how long it will last or if we will have time like this again.