Untraditional

Sitting here writing this, it is hard to believe that Christmas is only 7 days away! It really is true that the older you get, it seems that every year goes by faster. I guess it is actually starting to feel like Christmas because I woke up to a bit of snow on the ground (not a fan) but it does look pretty and helps set the scene for the big guy.

Speaking of the big guy, not having kids means that Christmas looks a bit different in our house. There is no elf that we have to come up with creative poses for or remember to move every night, no outfit that has to be bought for a little one to get pictures with Santa in, no searching high and low for a specific gift that was asked for and if we don't find it could absolutely crush a child's heart or belief that the whole thing is real. It also means there are no school Christmas parties to chaperone, no milk and cookies being left out on Christmas Eve, and no sleigh tracks to be made in the snow to make the magic of the season come to life.

Don't get me wrong, I am 100% sure that having a child makes Christmas special and full of fun. In fact, I used to think about the traditions that Darren and I would follow in our home if we ever did have kids. Would we have 1 gift from Santa and the rest from us? Would we wrap Santa's gift or leave it as is since it comes straight from the workshop? Would we load the kids up in the car bright and early to spend Christmas day with family or keep it at our house? Would we have a special breakfast meal like french toast or creamed eggs over toast (that was what we had every year when I was growing up. If you don't know what it is- essentially it is a gravy you make with eggs and you pour it over toast or biscuits).

To be honest with you, I do think we miss out a bit this time of year since we don't have kids. I would be lying if I said I didn't feel that way. Everything is more magical through the eyes of a child, I have observed this in my nieces and nephew when they were younger and with my friend's kids. However, not having kids to share this time of year with doesn't mean that we are a bunch of scrooges or the grinch. We still do things to make this time of year fun and special for the two of us.

We decorate the inside and outside of the house in festive decorations and lights. I am not just talking about a Christmas tree either, we do that of course but we also have several totes full of holiday decor that gets put out. Darren spends a lot of time making sure that the blue and white lights outside are perfectly placed and in working order (which can be a major pain in the ass most years). We watch as many Christmas movies as we possibly can and we always make sure to fit our favorites in- Four Christmases, Bad Santa, Home Alone (Darren's choice), Polar Express (my choice) and Christmas Vacation which we save for last and typically watch on Christmas Eve-Eve (12/23) or Christmas Eve. We still hang up stockings and usually put a couple of things in there for each other just so they aren't empty. Most years it is scratch off lotto tickets and Reese's trees but you never know what kind of trinkets we will try to hide from each other so we each have something that is a surprise.

I'll admit, I am like a kid when it comes to presents. I can't help it, I love them and I always have. I think it's because of the anticipation of opening it up and finding out what it is- it's just fun! It also means that someone was thinking of you and took the time to find something that you would like. And a Christmas tree with gifts under it looks prettier than one that is empty in my opinion. That is why this year I wrapped as many gifts as I possibly could, and I actually hate wrapping if you can believe that. My wrapping skills have improved greatly over the years but I am still not that good at it and it is just time-consuming. Darren wraps the most beautiful gifts I have ever seen, I think his OCD helps in this area and he also gets it honestly because his mom does a fabulous job of wrapping as well.

Another thing that we try to do every year is go do something together that is unique to the holiday season. In the past we have done a TSO show, went to see the Nutcracker, saw a Grinch play, Zoo lights, an ice skating Cirque show, Franklin Park Conservatory Aglow and this year we went to see Cirque Dreams Holidaze which was really fun! We also like to get in the car and drive around to nice neighborhoods and look at Christmas lights while we drink travel mugs of hot chocolate or coffee and listen to Christmas music. One of my favorite traditions that we have done for several years is making a Christmas feast for just the two of us which always includes a little ham with brown sugar and pineapple and some of our favorite side dishes. We typically make this on Christmas Eve-Eve and exchange any gifts or stockings stuffers that we get for each other after we eat. To make it a little bit extra (because that is just how I am) I like us to wear a tacky Christmas sweater or shirt while we do this and some years we really go all out as you can tell from the picture that was attached to this post.

Now that my parents are snow birds, I have taken a long weekend trip to Florida to visit them the last two years so that I could spend some time with them for the holidays and do our gift exchange somewhere warmer. I just got back earlier this week and had an amazing time full of delicious seafood, time at the pool, karaoke, and even a beautiful day at the beach in almost 80 degree December weather! Although I do miss them while they are gone majority of the year, I am not upset that I now have somewhere sunny to visit when I need a break from the cold, gray Ohio skies!

Since I have been home from my trip, I kicked it into high gear to get the finishing touches done before the big day. I tried a new macro-friendly recipe for yellow cake Christmas cookies topped with red and green sprinkles and they are super yummy. I am not sure if they will make it until Christmas, but hey- at least I baked something this year! I got the presents wrapped and under the tree that we will be taking to Darren's side on Christmas day, and they actually turned out pretty decent. We have also been on a Christmas movie watching spree and plan to sprinkle in some new ones that we haven't watched before. All in all, I would say that we have been successful in creating some holiday joy this year and doing what we can to make it fun even though we are having a #childfreechristmas.

After all, Christmas is not really about the glitz and glam or how much you get, but rather who you get to spend it with. It is about making memories and enjoying special traditions with the ones you love most, even if they are untraditional. Thank you for spending part of 2022 following my journey, I am so grateful for everyone that takes the time to read and I will continue to share about #choosingchildfree in 2023!

Wishing you a joyous, safe & healthy holiday full of traditions that mean the most to you- whatever that may look like!

-Holly