It’s that time again. The occasion when I gather my wits about me, along the candy wrappers from my stocking loot I’m still consuming, and open my mind and laptop. I sift through my sugar haze and recall what I’ve learned over Christmas break.
Mind you, none of these lessons are necessarily life altering, but I believe moments and lessons don’t have to be ultra important in order to be noteworthy. Sometimes I simply like to record and remember what life was like during a specific stage and season. I’ve done this for several years.
And so now I present to you…
19 Things I Learned Over Christmas Break 2019
- The more cups of coffee I consume while decorating my house for Christmas, the more strands of lights I hang inside.
- If you have a Costco membership, your husband may put 40 pens in your stocking.
- Birds of a feather flock together. This is also true for The Andy Griffith Show fans. Sometimes New Year’s Eve “partying” looks like a ruckus game of Mayberry Trivia. This was on purpose.
- Giving your children gift certificates for Christmas entitling them to one 24-hour period over Christmas break when they could watch unlimited tv, play unlimited video games, and have no bedtime is a big hit. It also leads to weakened brain cells and immune systems.
- Strep throat is content to spend time with my children and stays longer than one 24-hour period.
- When the family is sick, it might just be a good time to try the 7-day free trial of Disney+. What was that we said about unlimited tv? Yes, Mom and Dad can use your gift certificate too.
- Disney movies you enjoyed as a child will not necessarily translate and hold up to your children today.
- Home Alone will.
- No one is actually good at bowling. This does not stop anyone.
- Sometimes you take a risk and give a gift you’re not sure will be well-received.
- Sometimes the gifts you aren’t sure will be well-received turn out to be some favorites.
- If your child has a megaphone, she’s probably going to use it wake you and your husband up on Christmas morning.
- If you’re so far into break you don’t know what day it is or what time it is you’re doing it correctly.
- Finding out it’s the time you usually go to bed, and you just finished a Coke-in-a-bottle, you find that caffeine does indeed keep you awake.
- Nothing brings out inner Divas like a pink karaoke machine. My daughters enjoy it too.
- You can teach a new dog old tricks: a 9-year-old can be thrilled with the gift of a used, broken, rotary phone.
- You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, even if you give them the lyrics and a microphone. (See #5).
- My son is a member of the “I need longer pants each month” club. I’m thinking about joining the “I need wider pants each month club.”
- Sometimes clichés are just that. Cliché. But “Jesus is the Reason for the Season” holds up better than Home Alone.