Have you ever had the holidays pop up without a moment’s notice? As a planner this usually isn’t the case, but this year was different. It was as if the holidays came out of nowhere. But what I found more surprising than the holidays themselves and my lack of preparation was my response to being unprepared. You see I was unbothered… not phased… I was at peace.

Let me give you a recap of the Riley holiday season.

Oh, crap I forgot! Followed by a shoulder shrug was my response when a friend asked what my son was going to be for Halloween. The day for trick or treating was right around the corner and not only did I forget about it altogether I did not have the time, energy, or motivation to find a last-minute costume. So how did we spend this spooky holiday? Well I’m glad you asked. Instead of racking up on candy we had a busy day at the doctor’s office, grocery store, did some couponing, and lounged on the couch. Our activities didn’t line up with the typical celebration of a baby’s first Halloween, but we made it work. And remember my friend who asked about my son’s costume? Well two days after our conversation we received a surprise package in the mail. So, during our busy day of errand running my little guy received tons of ohhs and ahhs as he sported a onesie with “my first Halloween” written on the front and a pair of pants with a pumpkin plastered on the butt which was gifted by none other than my friend =)

After completely forgetting about Halloween and falling in love with the “my first Halloween” outfit I decided I was going to be on it for Thanksgiving. Are you familiar with Amazon Prime and their 2-day shipping? Of course, you are! Well, I ordered an outfit and had it shipped to my parent’s home where we would be spending the holiday two weeks in advance. And guess what happened? Prime let me down. Not only did my package not arrive on time, but Amazon failed to notify me of the delay. Nonetheless, we were surrounded by family and dined on the finest Thanksgiving cuisine. And my little guy tried stuffing for the first time and liked it. That’s a win in my book.

So, after two failed attempts you can only assume, I would be ready for Christmas… right? WRONG. It wasn’t until the middle of the month before it started looking like Christmas in my home. We had to purchase a new tree and it was just my luck that Wal-Mart was all out. After ordering online I realized the tree I selected was plain instead of pre-lit prolonging my decorating process even further. Next, I planned on purchasing Christmas themed pajamas for my husband, son, and I so we could take the classic morning of picture in our matchy matchy sets but by now you should have guessed this plan fell through as well. Instead of dressing in matching sets my son wore the cute little Santa onesie, I had on a PJ top I stumbled across on Christmas Eve, and my husband put on his usual pajamas. Despite our tardiness in being surrounded by the holiday spirit I have to say our Christmas was a success! My folks came to town and we had tons of family time filled with laughs, relaxation, full bellies, and most importantly one happy little boy.

So, how did the planner in me remain so calm? Could it be I was too busy, too tired, or in a constant state of baby brain to be bothered? Shoot, all three could be the winner. But prior to starting my motherhood journey a seasoned mama offered a bit of advice, and I’ve been applying it to every aspect of motherhood ever since. To show myself grace. You will hear me reference this often because it was the best advice I was given. Every aspect of our lives may not turn out in the most ideal way, and that’s okay. It’s not about the materialistic items, picture perfect shots, or matching outfits (even though I adore them). When I look back on my son’s first holidays the most important part are the memories we created, support we received, laughs we shared, and most of all the continuous smiles on my little boy’s face. Now take a sigh of relief because we’ve made it! Welcome 2020!

-Patience

If you need any additional support as you navigate motherhood schedule a 15-minute consultation with Patience today. You are not alone mama.

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