Oh, that we could always see
Such spirit through the year
I’ve been in such a negative frame of mind lately and I know that’s been seeping into my posts. By the time Friday rolled around, I was exhausted, sad, and in desperate need of holiday cheer. Little did I know I would find some on a lazy almost-plan-free weekend, right here in this cozy cocoon we call our home.
It began with a Holly Jolly holiday party for my moms’ club—complete with a special visit from Santa—and ended with our annual pierogi-making tradition. (In case you don’t know, making pierogi from scratch is an hours-long process, so it took up most of Saturday evening and all of Sunday morning.) Yes, every surface in our kitchen was covered in flour, but we barely noticed it amidst the beautiful smiles on the kids’ faces and the excited squeals of “Mommy, I made pierogi all by myself!” (In fact, my daughter’s pierogi came out waaaaay prettier than mine, and with no help from me or my husband!)
There was just something special about this weekend. Right off the bat, I had “that feeling,” the giddy happiness one hopes and wishes to be enveloped by this time of year. Being swaddled inside our home, with Christmas carols playing in the background, the colored lights from our Christmas tree glowing softly in the next room, and the delicious aromas of onions and butter and bacon hovering all around, I couldn’t help but revel in that festive, homey holiday spirit I’ve been craving for the past few weeks. And to think we almost didn’t even make pierogi this year because I’ve been feeling like such a Scrooge.
Throughout the weekend, we also sprinkled in our own morsels of holiday magic: a “tickle fest” on mommy and daddy’s bed (those giggles were priceless!), a Sunday morning breakfast of daddy’s homemade oat pancakes (per my daughter’s request), and cuddle time on the couch while watching The Santa Clause. Small, insignificant moments that are the essence of our holidays.
These festivities are exactly what I needed, a small reprieve from the past few weeks. And they came at the perfect time, in between bouts of illness. My son seems to have caught the bug that hounded my daughter last week, and so we begin yet another Monday sick and stuck inside these four walls. But I’m not going to let that erase the joyfulness of the past two days. Oh no, I’m going to hang on for dear life.
I was overcome with holiday spirit this weekend, and that’s where my heart and head will stay because Christmas time is here, happiness and cheer.