My top 10 list for a December to Remember

Make it a December to remember…

That’s how the saying goes, anyway. I’ll admit I’ve entered the month of December with mixed feelings. I’m happy to be at the tail end of a difficult year, I’m crossing my fingers that things can finally get better before they get worse, and I’m looking ahead with hope at the oncoming New Year. 

But…I refuse to coast through December on auto-pilot just because I’m looking back at what was or looking ahead for what I hope will be. 

Even if the holidays continue to look different this year, I’m going to live mindfully and do my best to enjoy each day; even as we continue to gleefully count down to the end of the year. If 2020 has taught us nothing else, it’s that we can and should make time to slow down. We should enjoy the moments in our lives that make us happy, contribute to our self care and, I’ll add, speak to our inner child.

So here’s my top 10 list on how I’ll make it a December to remember as I feed my heart, soul and inner child:

1. Cozy reading

Whether it’s a cozy mystery, a holiday novel or one of my regular favorite authors, nothing is more enjoyable than reading a book in my cozy chair with a warm blanket, a hot drink, a cat on my lap and my dog at my feet. This is especially cozy when the weather outside is wet, cold and blustery.

2. Tea time

I drink coffee every morning, but my afternoon vice is tea and I absolutely love holiday spice teas. Mid-afternoons I usually take a break from writing to make my tea and I enjoy the process so it’s become a habit, especially in the cooler months. I look forward to the warmth of the cup in my hands and the flavor of the tea as I take that much-needed break from the screen.

3. Feel-good movies

You may or may not include yourself with the many viewers who look forward to the onslaught of holiday movies during the months of November and December, but I can relate to watching movies that make you feelgood. Whether it’s a Hallmark holiday romance or an old holiday movie you watch every year (ours include Home Alone and The Grinch), there’s something to be said about letting a feel-good movie distract you for awhile.

4. Game nights

We enjoy game nights all year long, to include card games, dice and board games, but sometimes the holidays take over our regularly-scheduled way of life. This month we will make an effort to continue with those game nights because it’s one of the best ways as a family to relax and unwind, with good-hearted competition and lots of humor included.

5. Holiday recipes

I don’t enjoy cooking but I enjoy baking and this time of year is a great time to try new recipes. And for those who enjoy cooking, it’s also a wonderful time to learn a new dish. Whether you swap recipes with a friend or family member, buy a new cook book or randomly happen across a new recipe, there’s something about the process involved with preparing a new dish or dessert that becomes a great mindful moment. I received a holiday Danish style butter cookie recipe from a Keto couple I follow and I can’t wait to try out the recipe.

6. Get outside

It’s harder this time of year to get in a good walk, but getting outside for even fifteen minutes is well worth the time. A walk down the sidewalk, your driveway, the local park or even a forest walk, it doesn’t really matter because they all include what’s important: movement, fresh air and hopefully some Vitamin D. I especially enjoy walks after it snows…everything is so white and clean, the sun is usually bright and beautiful as is hits the snow and the world around us is all just so quiet. That’s a perk when you live in the country and those are by far my favorite walks, especially when we walk in the woods.

7. Holiday crafting

I enjoy paper crafts and this year I’m having fun with simple paper crafts to add nostalgia to the holiday decorations around the house. Painting is also a fun hobby, so I might paint more tree ornaments or holiday houses for my Christmas village. One year, I made Christmas trees with buttons and it was so much fun to use different buttons and color variations. With extra time, homemade cards are always nice to make and send to special friends and family. When it comes to holiday crafts, there isn’t anything I have to do; these types of projects should be enjoyable, a good distraction and most importantly, they should be great fun for my inner child.

8. Child’s play

Sometimes I just want to sit and color, or solve a word search puzzle, or put together a puzzle, or draw or paint a picture. That’s it. It’s not in the plans to share it with others, but to do it for myself because I enjoy the simple act of completing a project that makes me happy.

I have a few adult coloring books I work on every now and then and recently I received a coloring book as a gift with illustrations by Kerby Rosanes. I absolutely love the steam punk elements in many of the illustrations and look forward to working on them. That coloring book is intense and might take me a lifetime to complete, but that’s actually the idea with projects like these. It doesn’t matter if you complete them today, next month or next year; only that you spend time on them when you want to and you complete them for yourself.

9. Daily delights with candles

Fall and winter are the months when I enjoy holiday, vanilla, dark berry and spice aromas from either burning candles or a wax warmer. Lighting a candle every day is one of my favorite habits this time of year, as I say an offer of thanks for what I’m grateful for while I wait for the wick to light. There are certain “flavors” of candles or wax melts that I enjoy most, likely because they result in a satisfying emotion or cozy memory for me, in addition to how good they make the house smell.

10. Lights! Music! Ambiance!

And finally, since we’ve covered taste, touch, sight and smell, we should also please our sense of hearing. Music is terrific soul food, if you listen to what you truly enjoy, and it can make or break whatever mood you’re in. If I’m in a bad mood, I play rock music loud and it helps me get out of my funk. When I need to work out, I have a workout playlist that makes me want to move my feet so that I can easily hop on the elliptical or the treadmill. I have a playlist for when I want to relax and unwind and this time of year, I’m almost always listening to holiday music. It just makes me feel good, especially when I hear old toe-tapping holiday favorites.

For the fun of it, I added a long string of white lights around the living room TV stand, window and bookshelf that stay on all night long. There’s something about the white lights that bring about a relaxing mood and I appreciate not using table or floor lamps when I don’t need to.

This year, the month of December is already memorable because it’s the last month of 2020. But I’d prefer to take that title away and make it a December to remember in spite of that fact. I’ll make that happen if I continue to be mindful, enjoy the moments and make time for what feeds my heart, soul and inner child. My wish is that everyone gets the opportunity to make it a December to remember in their own way and that 2020 will have no say in the matter.