This Christmas as we are knee deep in holiday cheer, I am also waddling around like a mama penguin! I was only about a month pregnant at Christmas time with my son so this is a whole new experience. We are totally low key this year - minimal decor and little self pressure to do all the traditions. And it may just be one of our most enjoyable Christmas seasons yet.
I ordered and sent off all the niece and nephew gifts on Amazon prime. We got our son one "investment" gift (another magnatiles set that we hope he will play with for years to come). And it feels so good to just be at home with the Christmas lights on, holiday music streaming on Pandora, and trying every type of hot chocolate Trader Joe's has (so far I love the peppermint one!).
It seems that we wait all year long for Christmas only to get here and feel so rushed and pressured to be present. This year I am forced to slow down and I hope to tuck away this peace I feel and continue to adapt it for years to come. Seeing our son truly appreciate the magic of Christmas this year reminds me that he doesn't need much. He is fascinated with the lights, recognizes Santa, and points out - "Mommy! A Christmas star!" as we drive by a large light display.
It is a special time of year. But even more it is a special season of our lives - being pregnant with our baby girl and experiencing Christmas with our sweet two year old boy.
I tried to take some tree sillhouette photos with my bump by myself and I was really struggling. I looked at my inspiration photos and realized our tree is too small (and my bump too big!) to reenact what I wanted. And I couldn't help but laugh/cry at the irony of trying to get that perfect "Christmas moment" to only feel like I failed.
My husband, sick at the time, got up from the couch and took one picture (the first one in this post) and it was the best out of the whole bunch. And I was reminded again to let it go and find the joy in what I have. There are a whole lot of better bump in front of the Christmas tree photos on Pinterest. But I will be grateful for the handful I have - the chuckle to myself over trying so hard to set it all up myself and remembering I can trust my husband to take good pictures (flash back to my controlling photo business days!).
In the midst of all the hustle and bustle, I wish you all much peace and joy finding contentment in whatever season you are in.
