All Things Woompty

I took down all my Christmas decorations today. The sparkly lights and fake greenery and ornaments with their shmoopy stories are all boxed up and waiting to go back into storage for another year. I was sad to put it away, and not just because this means my vacation is really and truly over now.

I was sad because this holiday season was one of the best ones we’ve had in awhile. I vowed to keep it low stress and low cost. I committed to nothing outside of work obligations and our own open house/holiday party. I slashed our list of people we were buying presents for and didn’t sign up for card exchanges. I gave myself permission to cut corners and go to bed early once a week, and it all worked out beautifully.

I spent time with dear friends, lingering over dinner and playing silly games. I baked roughly 5 million cookies, meditating in my kitchen as butter and sugar and flour became little gifts for everyone I knew. I threw a stellar holiday party for my company, and was reminded again how lucky I am to be working with these people at this company in this industry. We invited our friends and family and coworkers into our home to watch football and eat cookies and tell Sophie how cute she is. I made my first turkey, and it turned out fabulous.

So it was indeed a happy holiday season for me, for us. I paused and looked around and realized that this right here, this is the life I have been trying to get to all these years.

A priceless gift, indeed.