Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve has been nice so far. We had a leisurely morning, with breakfast and lounging in our PJs. We video chatted with family and wished them for Christmas. We went on a family walk to the nearby park and got caught in the rain, but quite enjoyed the outing. The afternoon was low-key as well.

My daughter has been asking to see 'baby Jesus' and my husband has taken her to Christmas Eve mass at a nearby church. He had been thinking about attending this mass but couldn't quite make up his mind, but they finally decided to go. I'm using the occasion to tidy the house a bit, catch up on bills and put away the last of the presents. Argh... that 45 minute window when baby sleeps, and we have to "Do all the things!'. I'm sure I won't even get started before it is time to wake him up.

However, I did go out of my comfort zone today and made a facebook post greeting friends and family for the holiday season (complete with family picture). I'm not sure why, but my anxiety gets triggered every time I put myself out there. But I suppose a calculated, cautious approach is what I am trying now. Hence the blog post, since writing keeps me grounded.

I'm going to write a few positive words now, with the hope that they seep through into my subconscious mind. Peace, calm, tranquility, togetherness, gratitude, acknowledgement, letting negativity roll off, inviting positive energy, believing, praying, forgiving, being humble, conscious deep breathing, rhythm and balance, warmth, comfort, knowledge, restfulness, relaxation, progress and carving my own path. These are all the thoughts and feelings I'd like to surround myself with this season.

Update: My daughter and husband enjoyed the Christmas Eve mass. It turned out to be a family mass, and the priest did a circle time for the children to tell them the story of the birth of Jesus, while holding up large pictures to show them. The children even were given goody bags containing candy and a little booklet about the story that they were told. Later in the evening, my daughter and I baked cookies for Santa. We tidied up the house a bit and enjoyed some music at home. We had dinner of mussels, homemade fries and chicken stew that my husband made. It was a day well spent.
Side note: The mussels were a result of a huge craving that my husband had, which took him to Costco on the 23rd evening (the horror!). He endured long lines and pushing through crazy shoppers to buy the mussels and then came home to painstakingly prep them for dinner, perfect his frying technique with the fries, and satisfy his desire to have the typical Belgian comfort food ready for dinner. We got to enjoy the fruits of his labor.

Christmas morning was a hit with our kids, and they loved the little things we got them (books, and a small toy each). My husband and I have been meaning to go out for a special dinner to a local restaurant, and we got ourselves a gift card to go there. My husband says that this locks us in to actually go, so to speak, since otherwise life gets in the way and we never really have a night out. We then packed the kids up in the car and drove up to my sister's place. We had a relaxed afternoon, a delicious lunch prepared by her (we took a chicken dish) and were able to spent time together.

All in all, it was both a relaxed and a festive celebration - exactly what we were going for, and we are grateful for that.