Lockdown Christmas

 

This year, getting to Christmas has been tough.  For someone who usually throws themselves at the festive season with gusto, this year has seemed a lot like a damp squib, for many reasons.

This year, it's my eldest's Dad's turn for actual Christmas day.  And that means that she will miss most of her sister's first Christmas day.  OK, her sister probably won't remember.  But she will.  So we'd planned to do lots of the fun Christmas stuff before the day itself. 

Except COVID had other ideas.  And our pre-Christmas out of the house activities were curtailed by the phone call from school telling us that my eldest needed to isolate for almost the entire pre-Christmas period.  So no walks to see the twinkly lights.  No trip to town to see the window displays.  No dash to the shop to buy the new star for the top of the tree.

The final blow came when, a week ahead of schedule, Wales was plunged into lockdown-3 with only a few hours' warning.  Whilst understandable once you stand back and objectively look at the data, for a 7yo who'd been counting down the days till she could see her Grandparents post isolation, it was yet another blow in a year of small treats not delivered due to COVID restrictions.  

As a family we've missed the Carol services, the visit to Santa, the trips to craft fairs and visits to family and friends.

The not-so-big day is less than 48 hours away.  We're ready (ish).  This year, Christmas is small.  Much smaller than usual.  We'll see no-one outside our own household for the foreseeable future.  There are no Christmas dinner plans or timings.  No family gatherings.  No days away.

This year, we're just grateful that we're all still here.  That we've all made it through the last 9 months and made it to Christmas.  We're celebrating the small things, not the big ones.  And the small things are more important.  

As much as I've loved aspects of 'big' Christmas over the years, this year, I've learnt that Christmas doesn't need to be big.  All it needs is to be with the people most important to you.  That there's no need to timetable every spare evening and weekend with 'festive' activities to make it special.  The special comes from having time to relax and enjoy life with those we live with.  

Nadolig Llawen bawb.  It's time to enjoy ourselves and have some fun.