The Spirit of Togetherness

Happy Saturday and Merry Christmas (to those who celebrate)!

I'm not sharing a video this week...just some thoughts that I've been thinking on as our family navigates the ice cream holiday rush and Christmas prep.

I'm not big on Christmas to be honest. I hate obligatory giving. And, I don't particularly love stuff, especially for kids. Their waning interests lead to clutter, which leads to me being annoyed that there's stuff littered throughout our 1250 square foot apartment.

So, you can imagine how much I love this time of year when all roads lead to "buy your kids stuff to show them how much you love them."

This year as I prepared for our kids' Christmas, I was reminded of something that I have learned working as an educator to my CUNY-City College undergrads...the less I teach, the more my students learn. When I lecture less and create opportunities for group work and in-class conversation around the concepts and curricular goals outlined for the semester, the more they learn.

You might be asking how this applies to Christmas and mothering?

In short, the less we buy and the more we honor and celebrate family traditions, the more our kids enjoy this season. Their experiences with us trump all.

You're receiving this on Christmas morning, so this may seem like a mute point, but I believe this concept is evergreen.

In our effort to provide our kids with THE best life we can possible create for them, we are often taken down consumerist wormholes that will have us believing that their optimal quality of life is one click away.

The holiday season is an excellent time to remember that meaningful connection through the celebration of certain traditions or just togetherness is THE best way to show up for our kids. These will be the moments that help shape them and their sense of self.

Yesterday, we left the city to celebrate the holiday with my mom and her husband. After receiving our in-car rapid negative tests, we watched her share a Christmas sermon at her church.

I was most excited that our kids got to see one of their grandmothers being in community with her people and doing something she loves. Whether they realize it or not, this was the Christmas gift.

As we close this year, let's all think about the small ways we can connect with our kids whether that's through our commutes with them to school, during a weekend breakfast tradition, or an evening routine.

Our presence is the present and let's never forget that.

Happy holidays!
Petrushka