different.

This year, for the first time in six years, I won’t be traveling at Christmas. J and I decided that budgets/work/schedules this year meant that we just couldn’t make the trek back to Minnesota and Wisconsin to be with family. As of this moment, we actually have no plans (none at all!) for Christmas day.

This city gets pretty quiet around the holidays/whenever those lawmakers are taking a break. In my head, I pictured a late breakfast (maybe cinnamon rolls?) and some lazing about and maybe a walk down to the Capitol with travel mugs of hot chocolate to see the tree.

It’s at once a huge relief and a bit of a bummer to not be traveling this year. Airports are not my favorite. I’ve had more than my share of cancelled or delayed flights because travelling to the Midwest in December always = lots of snow. But I’ll miss seeing our families, playing Scrabble and cribbage, seeing two wild little nephew boys open their presents, eating all of that good Midwestern food (and cheese cheese cheese!).

On a whim, I got us a big Christmas tree this year (taller than me!) so that our tiny apartment would feel full of holiday cheer. I baked cookies in a fury. I made vegan eggnog (which didn’t go as well as one might hope).

So this season feels a bit strange around here this year. I’m definitely listening to Christmas music non-stop at this point, and I plug in the Christmas lights every moment I’m at home, but it still feels a bit distant. Not in a bad way (or in a good way), just different this year. So here’s to a few new traditions, whatever they'll be, and to taking the holiday season easy.