Making a List, charcoal and conte sketch on paper
On the first day of Christmas sketches...
For my first lesson in making my holiday season more peaceful, I took a cue from the big man in the red suit and made a list.
There were so many tasks, wishes, duties and plans whirling in my head that it was just a big Christmas blur. No peace would come by leaving my mental state in such a mess!
During the kids’ downtime, I spent about an hour making my list, giving thought to my plans (hmmm, what kinds of gifts does mom like?), reserving time on my calendar for upcoming tasks (Christmas commissions!), getting the easy jobs done (send in that $5 for the class Christmas party!).
This organization had several benefits:
- my list relieved me of the fear of forgetting something important
- writing it down made what seemed so overwhelming, not so bad once prioritized
- having it down helped me form a clearer mental space from which my thoughts can grow…(now about that present for mom…)
For me, once I have a tentative map through the holidays, the Christmas Can-Can subsides, and it all seems much more manageable. It’s like eating your broccoli first…I got the bad part out of the way, and now the good stuff can be enjoyed.
Take that, partridge.
a Partridge in a Pear Tree
