Season's Greetings!

Catching up on Christmas cards for the last 10 years.

“You know, you don’t have to wait until you have kids to send a Christmas card.”

One of my oldest and dearest friends told me this once, and I never forgot it. After she lost her older brother several years ago, she really cherished the photos she had and wished she had more. Until then, I never thought that I might have a limiting belief that I hadn’t accomplished something worthy of a Christmas card (read: offspring) that anyone would care to see. But a lot has happened in our 9 years of marriage that’s worth celebrating, big and small. Life is too short to save joy only for the big moments.

Unconscious mental blocks aside, sending out Christmas cards takes time and energy that I choose not to expend. Taking and choosing the right photo, collecting updated mailing addresses, sending them out…it seems like a lot. Given that I regularly handle a lot of complex tasks, it’s probably not that much. Writing this newsletter probably takes more effort. But you know when you hit your limit and you just don’t have the brain space to process any more, even if it’s relatively simple? Yeah, it’s like that.

I so enjoy seeing everyone else’s Christmas cards and yearly updates, and I always aspired to do something similar, but I’m obviously very behind. So if I had to summarize the last 10 years together in a series of pithy headlines (or paragraphs, depending on how jam-packed that year was), here’s what I would say:

2012: The year we went to Italy, moved in together, got engaged, and Bryan started working night shift

2013: The year we planned a wedding in 10 months, bought our first place, renovated, moved in a week before the wedding, then got married and honeymooned in Jamaica

2014: The year we decided night shift was bullshit and that Bryan should quit, which led to the “Summer of Bryan,” then a career change for him. I started a side hustle and changed jobs, then got Lasik eye surgery (the 2nd best decision I ever made besides marrying Bryan)

2015: The year of my first ever professional hockey game, seeing Rush in concert, a professional golf event, and Bryan’s first Penn State game

2016: The year we went to St. Lucia. I also hit a deer and totaled my car, which led to us buying a new car right before I started grad school (Hello, Saturn Return!). Bryan also changed jobs and careers. Oh, and a professional internet troll became President of the United States.

2017: The year I finished grad school, changed jobs again, and went to my first Steelers game in Pittsburgh. I really don’t have words for the rest because it was all just a blur.

2018: The year we went to Disney World, and I walked the lawn at UVA for my master’s graduation. Life slowed down a little again, which was nice after the frenetic energy of the last year.

2019: The year we saw Fleetwood Mac and Queen (with Adam Lambert) in concert. I started another new job and shortened my commute by 2.5 hours per day, and I went on a girls trip to London with my mom.

2020: The year we squeaked in a trip to Jamaica right before the world shut down. Then we welcomed Della into our family while trying to hold ourselves together during a global pandemic, a cancelled Italy trip, the loss of my aunt Carol, my mom’s 2 surgeries, a new president and the election drama that ensued, socially distanced holidays…Oh, and an unexpected job change at the end where I battled anxiety every time I went into the office wearing a mask. It was also the year of slowing down, being incredibly thankful for the privilege of working from home and being together, weekly Zoom dates with friends, and lots of dog training. I also cut Bryan’s hair, which actually turned out pretty well!

2021: The year we got vaccinated and decided to dream a little. I discovered tarot and other intuitive modalities and learned a lot about myself in the process. We also bought a new home and moved. Also known as the year of the undecorated Christmas tree because there was nothing left in the tank at that point.

2022: The year we settled into our new home and finally started going places again. We went to Disney World in May, then Bryan had hernia surgery. He also finally took his 4-week sabbatical (a unicorn benefit that his company offers after 5 years of service) during the summer, and we went to Big Cedar Lodge in Missouri and the Outer Banks. Our Christmas tree is fully decorated this year, and it feels really good.

Now that I look back at all those years and everything that happened, it makes sense that Christmas cards weren’t on the agenda. So if you were wondering what was going on with us, now you know! Who knows what 2023 will bring, but maybe there will be a new tradition of sending out updates at the end of the year.

I can’t find a picture of all 3 of us together, so you get 2 photos this year.

Happy Holidays from us to you and your loved ones! :)

Bryan and I at Big Cedar Lodge in Missouri

The floofiest floofer that ever floofed <3

Do you send out holiday cards or family updates?

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The Overshare Zone

Leaning Into: Nostalgia. I’ve been thinking a lot about how holiday traditions have evolved over time, but one thing that hasn’t changed is my love of Christmas movies, sitting by the light of the Christmas tree, and drinking hot chocolate. These simple joys have gone neglected in recent years, but we’ve been making time for them recently, and it feels really nice.

Fighting: The urge to just shut everything down for the rest of the year, like that meme that says, “That sounds like a 2023 problem.” While I will need to be a productive adult between now and the new year, I’m also acknowledging the fact that other animals hibernate in the winter, so it’s natural to want rest right now. After all, rest is essential, not a reward. I’m trying to honor that while maximizing the bursts of motivation when I get them.

The accuracy.

Grateful For: So many things, but as cheesy as it sounds, I’m grateful for YOU! Yes, you. This newsletter has been an awesome creative outlet for me this year, and the fact that you choose to receive my writing in your inbox is a privilege that I don’t take lightly. Thank you for being here!