Surviving from Thanksgiving to New Year
For the moms who make the magic—and deserve to feel it too.
There’s this strange little window every year that no one really warns you about. The moment Thanksgiving ends, we blink… and suddenly it’s mid-December. The leftovers aren’t even gone yet, and somehow people are already asking what we’re baking, what we’re bringing, where we’re going, and my personal favorite, “Have you decorated yet?”
Decorated??
Sweetheart, I’m still emotionally in the kitchen with the turkey.
This in-between season is supposed to feel magical, but for a lot of us, especially moms, it can feel like whiplash. A constant go-go-go, hopping from one event to the next, juggling lists we never put down, and trying to smile through it all even though we’re secretly fantasizing about taking a nap under a weighted blanket until January 3rd.
The other night I watched Oh What Fun, and there was this moment where the mom talks about how women make the magic… but rarely get to experience it, and something about that hit me right in the chest.
Because honestly? So much of this season is held together by women who are already stretched thin. Women who are creating memories on fumes. Women who are giving their families joy they barely have the space to feel themselves.
But there is such beauty in that, too… in this quiet lineage of mothers, grandmothers, aunties, sisters. The women who came before us who held it all together so their families could remember something soft and warm.
This post is for them. And for you. For all of us trying to make December beautiful while also longing to be able to be more present.
How to Make the Season Feel Lighter (Without Losing the Magic)
1. Choose Your “Big Three.”
Every year, pick three things that actually matter to you.
Your Big Three might be:
- decorating the tree
- Christmas Eve traditions
- A slow and gentle Christmas morning
Everything else is background noise.
You are not meant to carry the entire season on your shoulders.
2. Ask Yourself: “Who is this for?”
Is this event, this meal, this gathering for YOU?
For your kids or partner? Or is it for someone else’s expectations?
If it doesn’t serve your home’s joy, let it go.
3. Practice the Gentle No
You don’t have to declare a boundary with a bullhorn. Soft no’s count too.
“Thank you so much for inviting us. We’re keeping things low key this year.”
Done. No guilt.
4. Offload ONE Thing
Just one.
Let someone help, even if it’s not perfect.
- partner decorates the tree
- kids help address holiday cards
- relatives bring a dish to dinner
- ask someone else to host one gathering
You don’t have to be the entire Holiday Department.
5. Make self care a priority
Finding time to unwind and refill your cup is a job negotiable during this season.
- a relaxing bath with your favorite music
- Tending to your skin and hair (especially if you live in a harsh winter climate)
- Resting your body. Yes even during the day.
- journaling
- Something creative that isn’t on your to do list.
6. Choose “Present Holiday,” Not “Perfect Holiday”
What your kids will remember:
your presence, your laughter, the softness of the season.
What they won’t remember:
whether your cookies were hand-iced or store-bought.
If no one else has said this yet:
You’re doing beautifully.
You’re doing enough.
You ARE enough.
You deserve to feel the magic you so lovingly create for everyone else.
And if you’re tired?
If you’re overwhelmed?
If you’re craving a long winter’s nap?
You’re simply a woman who holds so much, and still finds a way to offer warmth, and that is magic too.