Hello December

December 1st. How are we already starting the last month of 2022?! Time has seriously flown... Now that we are starting December, I feel like there is always this small list in my head that grows faster the further we get into December...

But with a focus on the smaller things in life this season, time with family and loving Pierce and Jane, living in the roles where the Lord has me right now, I’m trying to make this holiday list a little shorter and filled with the things that are fun and bring life and joy and the small traditions that I hope we keep as life keeps moving and Jane gets older. 

So at the top of my head, here is where my list is this December 1st…

1. Order Christmas Cards. 

We’ve been doing this since we got married and it’s something that I just love. The first year, I put a few of our wedding pictures on a Christmas card, and we wrote all of our wedding thank you notes and put them in with the card to send to our friends and family. We've tried to keep that tradition going with even just a tiny note when we send our cards. We love being able to tell our people thank you for loving and supporting us throughout the year. 

Usually, our card kind of just falls into place with a picture that we had taken at some point in the fall, but this year for some reason, it’s felt more tricky. Probably because getting a 7 month old to smile in any picture is a feat hahaha but…nevertheless, it’s still on my list this morning. Hopefully I’ll get them ordered in the next few days. And maybe I’ll do a post soon on our past Christmas cards. 

2. Order our family ornament. 

This one was started by my mom and when Pierce and I got married, I knew I wanted to continue the tradition with our family. My mom would always find the perfect family ornament, usually at the mall when we were little long before Etsy was what it is, and she would have the little stockings or snowmen or gingerbread men personalized with our names and the year. Still to this day, they are some of my favorite ornaments to look back on on my parents’ tree. So when Pierce and I got married, I found us an ornament with two little snowmen and ordered it with our names and the year. I figured even though there were only two of us, it wasn’t too early to start the tradition. 

And last year, "Baby Riddick" was a small part of our ornament, but this year I’ve been in search of one with three little names. And I need to get it ordered soon so it can hang on our tree for at least a little while this season...

3. Brainstorm my gift list. 

Sigh…I’m not sure where all my inspiration is this year…I feel like usually by December 1st, I’ve listened and thought and perused and found some great little items that I know would make for fun gifts, and even if I haven’t ordered them, I have some overarching ideas. But this year, I’m not kidding when I say my gift buying is maybe at 4%…I need to somehow find some inspiration for everyone on my list…if you have any ideas, send them my way. And if you are looking for any inspiration, I posted a few of our favorites the past few years here, here, and here. 

4. Keep things clean and cozy. 

I don’t know about you, but sometimes, when the holidays hit, things can feel overwhelming and like there’s just a lot of “everything.” A lot of decorations and a lot of boxes, lots of mail and coupons and wrapping paper, and a lot of miscellaneous items and things that are needing a place… I’m trying hard this year to keep things simple and really keep things clean and feeling cozy. 

Especially with Jane starting to be on the move (which is so fun and special), I feel like it’s a great time to just keep things a tiny bit less overwhelming this Christmas season. I shared our new laundry system I’ve been trying on Tuesday, and that's been helping a lot. I’ve also been trying to keep these daily cleaning items going too, just mainly for our sanity. Jane’s also been loving crawling around chasing the vacuum, so I’ll take advantage of that as long as I can hahaha

5. Go through our calendar. 

Oh, December. I love a good December, and I absolutely love all of the fun things that could be added to every day of the month. I’ll do a post soon on some of our favorite things, but it can sometimes take some intentionality to find the balance of all the fun and also all the simple and sweet things, like a few cozy nights at home. Add an almost eight month old to the mix of past traditions and Christmas parties, church events, date nights, family and friends visits and you have a calendar that needs to be looked at to make sure we’re savoring the season in all the small ways too. 

And lastly, but really first and mainly, we’re still just trying to keep the main thing the main thing. We are still waking up each morning to spend time with Jesus. Journaling, reading, praying...focusing on a season that’s filled with lots of joy and just like everyday knowing that that genuine joy can only truly come from Jesus. 

And that’s just a few small thoughts for your December 1st... I’m going to turn on some music, cozy up in our living room and work on a few of these while Jane naps today and then just enjoy all the in-between and normal day-to-day moments that this December brings. 

What’s on your list this morning?! I’d love to know!! 

I’ll see you back here tomorrow! And don’t forget that today’s the last day to enter our little Christmas giveaway!! 

Here’s to a great 1st day of December and a month of soaking in all the things that mean the most!

Blessings, 

❤️Tab