I’m a morning person. I love the quiet stillness of early dawn, especially when it’s still dark outside. I like to sit back with a cup of earl grey tea and listen to music that feels warm. I’ll open my Vera Bradley planner and make a list; the list typically begins with reasonable tasks but then trails off into fuzzier, murkier assignments: “figure out a better storage system for scarves” or “watch Sinners, it’s been out for a year and you still haven’t watched it.”
But I’m a night person, too. I like to wind down with chamomile tea and listen to Delilah radio on 106.7 station. Usually, I’m revising poems or reading a book I keep forgetting to return to the library. On more ambitious nights, I’m deep cleaning the kitchen or figuring out a better storage system for my scarves.
I look forward to the calm productivity of early mornings and late evenings — those moments of creative freedom are important to my well-being. Which brings me to my next point.
One thing I can’t stand about Christmas is how it totally throws off the schedule. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not bah humbugging Christmas. But there’s so much pressure to get the holidays right, which is hard if you work all of the time and live in an expensive city. If we could all have the perfect Christmas gifts, decor, and baked goods, I think we’d do it. But holiday magic comes with the cost of labour and time. Time that we don’t have and labour we’re often too tired to give.
This past week, I’ve spent my mornings writing down gift lists and my evenings shopping online for the gifts. I didn’t pull out all of our usual Christmas decor because I ran out of time. I watched a few holiday movies, although admittedly, some just played in the background while I did other things. And the only cookies I made came in store-bought cookie dough form.
It’s no secret that being an adult is weird and sometimes lonely. That’s why starting your own holiday traditions is important. They don’t need to be grandiose or expensive — they just have to mean something to you.
Lately, my mornings and evenings are illuminated by the nostalgic glow of our Christmas tree. I’m not too familiar with grounding techniques, but I’d argue that spending a little bit of one-on-one time with your decorated room is important. It was a labor of love, why not enjoy it?
In very rare Kasey form, I’ve decided to include a small list of new traditions I’ve started to follow in hopes of creating experiences and memories that are unique to adulthood. It gives me something to look forward to in the days leading up to Christmas when I am at my busiest time of year:
I could watch these two try to communicate all day long. There are several holiday-themed videos featuring Miss Piggy, but I’m a big fan of this one because they attempt to make a gingerbread house together. Come for the amusement of Miss Piggy mocking Martha’s craftsmanship, stay for the draaaageees (you’ll see!). I typically watch this earlier in the holiday season, right after Thanksgiving — but it’s never too late to watch!
This one may be trending, but it’s trending for a reason! Paper decorations are easy to do, cost-effective, and add a touch of whimsy to any space. What I also like is how they’re not inherently Christmassy; you can use one in your space even after the holidays to bring some cozy hyggeness to your space. Hang them on the tree like a garland, drape them across your mantle (a dining room table works well, too) or suspend them from the ceiling like you’re having a party.
- Barbie in the Nutcracker
This one may just be pure nostalgia for my love for this movie, but as a tried-and-true lover of “Pink Christmas” I am naturally drawn to all things Nutcracker. Controversial take, but I saw the NYC’s American Ballet Theatre’s production of The Nutcracker a few years back and I was underwhelmed by the sets. So I guess I am condoning that Barbie in the Nutcracker is canonically better as the real thing. For fellow girls around my age, we grew up with this movie; it was Mattel’s first Barbie movie ever. (Ironically, they brought in ABT dancers into the studio to help the CGI artists track the choreography.) Does the quality of the movie hold up? Err, I mean it’s early CGI from 2002. I enjoyed specifically watching this twenty-year reunion of the cast and crew talking about their experience exploring the world of Barbie through CGI animation.
Anyway, it doesn’t have to be Barbie in the Nutcracker. If there is any movie from your childhood that you haven’t seen in twenty-something years, maybe it’s time to revisit it. Stay in touch with your younger self.
- Cookie Swaps
Normally, Aleksa and I host a big Christmas party — but this year, we skimmed down to more intimate celebrations and hosted a Cookie Swap. One upside is that it was a daytime event, so no one was worried about getting home in the bitter darkness. And another upside is that everyone brings a batch of cookies; in the end, you leave with a free box of assorted cookies that have been baked with love by close friends.
I’m sure there’s more traditions I’m overlooking, some even too random to explain (we usually watch Anastasia as we put up our Christmas tree; we honor Serbian Christmas for the days following American-Christmas; and just this year, we’ve added The Church of Sweden to our annual NYC repertoire (the cafe and market are absolutely beautiful).
I’d be curious to hear your adult traditions and how you bring the holiday magic to your home.
Can you believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve? And almost the end of Blogmas? I’ll be headed to my home state of Connecticut to join in my family festivities now that I’m on the mend from my cold. Stay tuned for a guaranteed delectable evening of crafting trinkets and consuming many appetizers.
Until then,
That Blogmas Girl
That American Girl 
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