I love parties. Any kind of party. I always have.
Christmas parties are especially exciting. Everyone’s usually in a cheerful mood, the food is great, and there are generally decorations to keep the holiday spirit alive.
Tonight we were supposed to go out to a Birthday/Christmas party (I’m sorry all you late December babies!). We were looking forward to it, chose a random gift for the gift exchange game, borrowed Christmas sweaters and got the Santa hats ready. But then, for a number of reasons that aspired against us, the evening quickly moved from all of us going, to quickly popping out as a couple, to staying home for the holidays.
And I’m actually pretty happy about that.
I usually jump at the chance to go to a party. Over the last year, though, I’ve been finding I enjoy just staying in a lot more than I used to. before our little monkey joined us, I believed (and still do) that you shouldn’t need to change your life when you have children. If you want to go to a social gathering, the children should come to. I’m all for inclusion of age and for raising responsible and included youngsters. Of course there arise times and places that aren’t suitable for kidlets, but your life should not stop because you’re a parent. I feel children learn and grow a lot from being with and being included in everyday life – not just the child-sized version of it.
So I try to get out there with her, and we have brought her along to dinner parties and game nights and wherever we go. But the truth is, sometimes it’s nicer to just stay home. It’s actually quite cozy. Our bedtime routine goes on as normal, and I don’t even have to put on something other than PJs, let alone think about makeup.
So for now I take advantage of the fact that I have an excuse to take it easy and lay low, and enjoy quiet evenings with my family. There was a time for many parties, and the time may come again, but at this place in time I’m quite content sipping wine, playing games and chatting with my husband at our cozy Christmas party for two.
Goodnight, all! Enjoy your Christmas festivities, and I’ll be back again after a brief pause in the December blogging challenge.