A Recap of Our 2020 Christmas Holidays!

Leading up to Christmas, I posted so many stories about how excited I was for the holidays. I was excited to start a few new holiday traditions with the kids and to get some much-needed R&R. Well, the holidays have come and gone, and let’s just say I don’t feel as relaxed and refreshed as I thought I would. I was hoping to share our holiday recap right after the break, but January threw some curve balls at us, and so we are just getting around to posting this now! 

First things first, I don’t want to complain, Christmas was actually amazing!! It was different than previous years (for obvious reasons, of course). Overall it was very quiet and slow. We didn’t have our big family get together like we do every year. However, my parents live just up the street, and luckily we were able to see them (socially distanced) safely over the holidays.

I will admit, the holiday season was still filled with all kinds of Christmas magic; the house was beautifully decorated, the kids were spoiled, and we indulged in some delicious food and wine. I was grateful to have some time off and spend some much-needed quality time with the kids. We spent some time inside playing with an old school Pac-Man arcade game (talk about a THROWBACK!) that my dad got Leo and playing with Annie’s beautiful dollhouse from Primerose Lifestyle. Plus, we spent lots of time outside, on the slopes, teaching the kids how to snowboard and running around with the pups in the backyard. Despite the circumstances, we had a great holiday season.

The one thing that I do have to say is I didn’t really have time to rest. Every year I always envision myself sitting on the couch, enjoying my coffee, and having a slowww and easy morning. But in reality, I’m always on the go, and I don’t really know how to “relax”. 🤪

Next year, I’m going to challenge myself to create that Christmas magic, but maybe with a bit more simplicity. I’m going to try and focus on a few traditions instead of 30! LOL! Let’s see how I do…

So having said all of that, I definitely don’t feel rested, but my heart is SO full! The day after New Years, we took down all of the Christmas decor. It feels a little empty and sad now, but I love the freshness and cleanliness of it.

The other day on Instagram I did a poll and asked you if you felt burnt out or relaxed after the holidays and shockingly 85% of you said that you were burnt out! 😩 One important thing to remember is that even the bare-bones Christmas, your kids and family will love it. The reason that I went overboard this holiday season, is because I felt really nostalgic all-year long. When Christmas came, it wasn’t that I wanted to have a Pinterest-worthy Christmas; I just wanted it to be as magical for Leo and Annie as it was for me when I was a kid. Now that the holidays have come and gone, I realized that I don’t need to do as much as I am doing. The kids just want to be loved; they don’t care how clean the house is or how many treats are out.

Next year, I am going to challenge you to do things differently so we all feel refreshed after Christmas.

P.s. If you want some behind the scene footage from our Christmas holidays, make sure to check out my Instagram Reels, here! I had so much fun getting creative over the holidays and whipping these up!

xo

Jilly