The surprising thing I dropped from my holiday list

December weekends fill up with the wink of an eye and the twist of a head. Holiday parties, special events, shopping, decorating. Meanwhile, the weekdays are still weekdays, full of school and work and after-school lessons. I needed to drop something from my list last year, but also hated to let any of the magic go.

I ended up cutting home-baked cookies loose. And I love to bake. This is the last thing I would have thought I’d enjoy booting from my to-do list. It was only supposed to be a year’s reprieve, but 2022 is looking a lot like another Walker holiday collection year. I imagine I’ll go back to baking eventually, but for now, I can even purchase pre-made mince pies, and it’s a revelation.

Why did I drop something I don’t mind doing?

I already try to keep the list of events we attend smallish - we pick a few meaningful ones that are traditions each year. The Engineer’s Club Holiday Brunch is a favorite. We also have Margaret’s birthday celebration during December, plus our anniversary is in December also! There weren’t really events on the calendar that we wanted to skip.

Cookies are finicky - they have to be baked on a particular weekend because they go stale quickly, they make a mess I have to clean up, they’re one of the more time consuming things to bake because you’re dropping six dozen individual cookies onto a baking sheet. The ‘particular weekend’ is always the weekend Margaret goes to stay with my parents. One year, my husband and I baked cookies together, which was…cute? But the distillery tour we’re planning to take this year is also cute.

This isn’t by any means a screed against holiday baking. Maybe baking cookies together is a tradition you and your children enjoy. Mine starts off enthusiastic and disappears halfway through to go re-watch Sing 2.

If you’re stressed during the holiday season, take a hard look at every item on your to-do list. You might be surprised at what doesn’t really need to be there.

Here are a couple of ideas to get you started: Ask for gift wrap at checkout instead of wrapping a large pile of gifts by yourself Keep decorations minimal if you’re not hosting Order catering for the Christmas feast Narrow down your card list - if you haven’t gotten a card from someone in a few years, it might be time to drop them from your list. Not everyone enjoys sending/receiving holiday cards. Don’t do Elf on the Shelf - I guess there are people who love doing this, but every December, my feed is flooded with parents complaining about ‘oh nooo it’s time to move that stupid elf.’ Why are you doing this to yourself if you hate it? Your child will be fine without it, and there’s plenty more magic to be found during the holidays!