A Very Merry Christmas…and a Peaceful New Year!

Christmas 2019 has came to a close in the Hall household. Make no mistake, we are still busy ringing in the New Year and enjoying Christmas break. This time is joyous, this time is precious. There’s a natural reset, not just the turning of a calendar, but a boost of mental energy and a surge of hope that fills the air. For me this year, this has largely meant out with old, in with the new. I’ve spent several of the lazy days the kids have remained clad in pajamas enjoying their haul from Santa, purging my home. In part to make room for new Christmas toys, and also just to get more organized. Both clean slates and clean backdrops excite me. When the space around me is clean and organized, it gives me more room to breathe and relax. This is just the opposite of what my house was for the week prior.

A living room floor littered with wrapping paper, toy packaging, and toys for days. Lego sets over every surface and every room of my house. New baby dolls resting under the Christmas tree, and piles of toys yet to be opened and assembled. I give this freedom for about two days after Christmas and it takes a lot coming from someone like me. With a 3 and 5-year-old, I let them revel in the glory of their own “piles” of toys and candy picked especially for them. I encourage the second day of the same pajamas, allow candy to be grazed on at will for an afternoon, allow dinner to be cereal at the request of a cute brown-eyed little boy; all to encourage a bunch of laughter, memories, and cuddling around the fire. This is what makes a Merry Christmas for me; the act of creating a very Merry Christmas for them.

Don’t get me wrong, the sweetest Christmas memories are dolling them up for our candlelight service and watching their faces literally glow from both the candlelight and the joys of singing about the birth of our Savior, then reading Twas the Night before Christmas and the story of Jesus’ birth before bed. Observing their delight as they carefully make and place the cookies out for Santa, and their inability to control their excitement and fall asleep because of the long awaited anticipation of Christmas morning. Those things go high at the list of making Christmas merry, however, it’s those small moments where the world stops and pauses that ignites pure joy in my heart. It’s those moments that I crave and love deeply about this season, so I’m happy to let it linger a bit longer.

This year Addisyn’s wish list included a baby doll, LOL dolls, and Disney tickets from Santa, along with “the ‘spensive Star Wars Lego’s on the top shelf” and Disney tickets from Josiah. They were greeted by all of those things and more Christmas morning. A very Merry Christmas, indeed. We spent time with friends and family, we ate delicious food, we stayed up too late and woke too early (heading straight for coffee), we viewed Christmas lights and went to parties…and (my personal favorite) we stayed home by the fire. For those things, I am grateful. So very grateful for those sweet memories and top shelf Lego’s.

Now, that most Christmas decor is packed away (I’m still not parting with my tree…for a few more days at least) and most of the Lego’s are built; it’s time to get things order, get rid of the old and welcome the new. This year, I have a lot of old to get rid of… a lot of mental anxiety and grief to let go of, and a lot of emotional and physical space to be created by letting go of past people, things, and commitments. I heard somewhere that 2020 is the year of “yes”… it’s kind of the year of NO for me. 2019 was a year of favor for our family but also a year that brought great losses. It was a year of care-taking and helping, traveling, and packing many things into a new schedule. It was the beginning of Kindergarten and homeschooling for the kids, and a completed Bachelor’s degree and position change for Justin. It was a new groove, and a new pace, and a very quick year.

So 2020 is unapologetically my year of “no”. 2020 is my year of creating space. My year of being more cautious with my time and commitments, prioritizing the young ages of my children and acknowledging the inability to say yes to every event/opportunity no matter how good it is. It’s a year to be intentional with whom and what I invest my time in, and a year to give more freedom to my kids…to just be kids. A year to focus on healing, health, and happiness and not strive for creating or completing to-do lists or reaching for accolades. It’s a year of striving only for God, peace, and joy.

As I literally packed up all of the “old” in my home to get rid of (the excess, the worn, the unused, the unfit), I thought of all the other excess in my emotional life that needed to go (anxiety, worry, stress and more) and said goodbye to that also. Peace out 2019! Here’s to a very Merry Christmas, and a truly peaceful Happy New Year! Welcome 2020, please love my babies well.

May the Lord show you His favor, and give you His peace. Numbers 6:26