2020 has been a funny year hasn’t it? Perhaps that’s a bit of an understatement but it certainly hasn’t turned out the way I imagined and I’m sure you feel the same. But while so much of what we thought of as normal feels out of reach right now I’m actually quite excited about Christmas and creating an intentional December filled with joy.
Perhaps that seems a bit odd, I’m a minimalist after all and Christmas is the season of the maximalist, with gifts and shopping and food and events. But actually this turning of the seasons from autumn to winter, with shorter days and cold nights is my favourite time of year. There really is something magical in the air (and no it’s not the anticipation of gifts). There’s something wonderful about slowing down and finding the joy in the little moments.
Maybe you feel like this Christmas isn’t going to be like Christmas at all because you’ll be spending it differently this year. It might be your first Christmas away from family. Perhaps you’re worried about cooking Christmas Dinner for the first time without the whole family pitching in or disappointed there won’t be enough of you in the house for your normal party games.
Sure there are probably some Christmas fixtures you’d rather skip anyway like the work Christmas party or navigating a busy shopping centre in search of a secret Santa gift. But even those seasonal nightmares probably feel like rose-tinted memories in the year of the ‘rona.
But just because this year is going to be different doesn’t mean it can’t be special and magical and filled with wonder. This December is the perfect time for finding new traditions. In fact, a simpler, more intentional Christmas might be just the antidote to 2020 that we all need.
setting intentions for joy
As parents we often pile on the pressure when it comes to Christmas. Last year my daughter was just 8 weeks old but I already started to get that anxiety about making Christmas extra special. What I found as I planned our first family Christmas was that it wasn’t the gifts or events that I was excited about, it was the simple traditions we were creating as a family. There was no rushing around to see everyone or visits to shopping centre Santas. Instead we enjoyed walks around our village (I set myself an intention to get outside every day last December), we collected greenery to bring into the house and made my first wreath for our door, and afternoons were spent baking treats. It was simple but intentional and filled with joy.
This year will be much the same and I hope you’ll join me in crafting a wonderful month to fill you back up in a year where perhaps joy has been in slightly shorter supply.
The first thing I’m doing is choosing three intentional words that sum up how I want my December to feel and set out the cornerstones of my festive plans. My words are: Joy, light and magical.
You may want to set some words too. Don’t think too hard about it, just go with your gut. What words describe the Christmas you want to create? Ideas for words might be wonder, rested, energy, warmth, cosy, or calm. These words are personal to you so go with what feels right.
embracing old traditions
As I think about the traditions I want to create for us as a family I started looking back to my own childhood Christmases to think through what made them special. The particular memories that stand out – not a toy or gift but the gentle rhythm of our celebrations – choosing a Christmas tree then decorating it as a family while dancing to a mix tape of Christmas hits (East 17 and Wham!…), writing a letter for Father Christmas and leaving a mince pie and carrot out on Christmas eve, and when I was older, playing Christmas concerts in the school band. Simple things that made Christmas filled with joy.
I’m sure when you think back on Christmas as a child you have similar memories. The things that stand out aren’t the gifts you received (although you may well remember some of them) but the little things. Perhaps it’s a memory of making paper chains to decorate the house or driving around your local town to spot the brightest flashiest light displays. Whatever your favourite memories are, think back on the words you’ve chosen for this month. Are there any traditions that fit with your words?
creating new traditions
Perhaps you’re already starting to think how these memories can shape new traditions for this year. If you’re still struggling concentrate on the feelings rather than specifics. For example, if you grew up having a family walk on a beach on Christmas eve but you now live miles from the coast in a big city, rather than feel disappointed that you can’t do the exact same thing and instead think about the important elements of that tradition: spending time as a family outdoors.
Hopefully you’ll be starting to think of one or two things you can start to do this year to really embrace the festive season without all the normal embellishments. If you can perhaps think of three or four things that you can do throughout the month to spend time together as a family.
I’ll be trying to introduce light, magic and joy to our December in the following ways:
Light, by taking part in my village advent window celebration and taking walks at dusk throughout advent to see the new windows being lit up.
Magic, by creating the magic of Christmas surprise for R. We’ll be jingling bells outside the window as she falls asleep listening out for Santa and hoping for clear night skies to look for shooting stars as the Geminid meteor shower peaks around the 14th.
Joy, by creating a Christmas playlist with all my absolute favourite Christmas songs that don’t get played as much as I think they should (because if I haven’t heard I believe in Father Christmas by Greg Lake is it really Christmas at all?). I’ll be dancing around my kitchen while baking up my favourite Christmas treats.
why keep the magic to one day?
For me setting my intentions for December is about creating a whole month filled with joy – not just a few frantic days. But it’s also about embracing the turning of the seasons rather than putting all the focus on being festive. Still stuck for ideas? I’ve listed below some of the things I plan to get up to this week.
dance to Christmas songs
Perhaps it’s because we only get to listen to them for one month a year but I love hearing Christmas songs. And there’s nothing I love more than making a playlist with all my favourites.
If you’re short on time or don’t know where to start, here’s my playlist which I’ll be adding to throughout the month:
bake something tasty
I recently discovered this recipe for Cattern Cakes and it is a perfect quick and easy bake that’s great for kids (R loved squishing and eating the dough). Even the most novice of bakers will find it easy to whip up a batch of these. I love the caraway seed flavour but if that’s not your thing you can leave them out.
write a letter
As we reach the end of the year it’s a perfect time to reflect and writing a letter is always a lovely way to think through the past 12 months. There’s something special about putting pen to paper. You may want to write to a family member that you won’t be seeing this Christmas or simply write a letter to yourself.
For children writing a letter to Father Christmas can be a fun activity too, although writing a list of “wants” may not be something to encourage. R is far too young for writing letters but when she is we’ll be focusing on what we are grateful for (or more simply, what makes us happy).
I hope that this has given you inspiration for creating a magical December. I’ll be sharing more idea over the next few weeks, including on The Intentional Mum podcast.
inspiration for creating an intentional December:
