Thursday, January 3, 2013
Post-Christmas Wrap
I emerged unscathed from the holidays. Its a Christmas miracle.
But really, for a decade or so Christmastime was not such a big deal. There were quite a few holidays during my twenties I didn't spend with my family. When I lived in Denver it was expensive and hard to fly home during the busiest salon season of the year. Everyone should spend Christmas Eve in a nightclub at least once in their life. (If nothing else, to appreciate NOT ever having to spend Christmas Eve in a nightclub again.) One memorable year was spent with a friend's family from Albuquerque eating the best green chile I've ever had. Another in Australia, eating seafood and drinking champagne on the beach. There were a few (okay, more than a few) Christmas celebrations with my family that I experienced through the dense, queasy fog of an epic hangover. Not like when I was a child and Christmas was hotly-anticipated and filled with excitement that went on for what felt like months.
Once you have a child of your own however...everybody wants a piece. And of course one feels compelled to create magical Christmas family traditions and experience the wonder of the season through said child's eyes, all while trying to accomplish twice the amount of normal things one tries to accomplish in a given day and not gain 500 lbs over the course of what is essentially a nonstop month-long buffet and open bar. Oh, and travel. Oh, and family.
Its a lot to put oneself through and in the end, no matter how much fun it was and how much I really enjoy seeing even the craziest of my relatives and how many joyful moments there are and how many blessings I count, I'm happy to be back to "normal". To settle into the next few months of curling up and cozying down and slowing the pace waaaaaay down.
So here's to the holidays, may the stress and spare tire fade away and the memories of love and laughter stay forever.
But really, for a decade or so Christmastime was not such a big deal. There were quite a few holidays during my twenties I didn't spend with my family. When I lived in Denver it was expensive and hard to fly home during the busiest salon season of the year. Everyone should spend Christmas Eve in a nightclub at least once in their life. (If nothing else, to appreciate NOT ever having to spend Christmas Eve in a nightclub again.) One memorable year was spent with a friend's family from Albuquerque eating the best green chile I've ever had. Another in Australia, eating seafood and drinking champagne on the beach. There were a few (okay, more than a few) Christmas celebrations with my family that I experienced through the dense, queasy fog of an epic hangover. Not like when I was a child and Christmas was hotly-anticipated and filled with excitement that went on for what felt like months.
Once you have a child of your own however...everybody wants a piece. And of course one feels compelled to create magical Christmas family traditions and experience the wonder of the season through said child's eyes, all while trying to accomplish twice the amount of normal things one tries to accomplish in a given day and not gain 500 lbs over the course of what is essentially a nonstop month-long buffet and open bar. Oh, and travel. Oh, and family.
Its a lot to put oneself through and in the end, no matter how much fun it was and how much I really enjoy seeing even the craziest of my relatives and how many joyful moments there are and how many blessings I count, I'm happy to be back to "normal". To settle into the next few months of curling up and cozying down and slowing the pace waaaaaay down.
So here's to the holidays, may the stress and spare tire fade away and the memories of love and laughter stay forever.
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