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Thinking about Christmas
My favourite part of Christmas is the bit in the middle, the days when you don’t know what day it is, when the days take on that Sunday feeling. I also love that its possibly the only holiday when the rest of my colleagues are also on holiday so it feels like a break that I can rest into more easily, knowing everyone is ‘off’.
As working parents however, we know that Christmas can feel like anything but “time off’. The extra load of jobs to do and the expectations that we may carry, both internal ‘shoulds’ and external impossible images of perfect Christmases.
I remind myself that in between the busy bustle of Christmas there is an inherent invitation to ‘winter’ to find some slow, to shift our hearts, minds and souls from constant productivity to healing, connection and renewal. If we could wish ourselves, and you and your families, anything this Christmas it would be to truly feel the restorative power of winter, of the ritual of this time of year and the connections it brings.
We are reflecting on our year and finding insights that blow fresh air into our whole being. The kind of aha’s that resonate deeply and are worth harvesting and savouring. If you’d like to join us, here are the journal prompts that we are using for our reflections.
Enjoy.
2023 Reflection – Journal Prompts
1. What was a new discovery you made this year? What did you discover that you loved?
2. What was one of the biggest pleasant surprises you experienced during the year?
3. What achievement are you most proud of from this year?
4. What was a new habit or routine you created this year that has improved your efficiency at home or work? This can be really small.
5. What did you face head-on this year rather than avoiding?
6. What did you ask for help with this year where you’re glad you did?
7. What relationship was the biggest positive surprise to you this year?
8. Who do you need to thank for their role in your life this year?
9. What’s an aspect of self-regulation you’ve gotten better at this year?
10. What is a goal you gave up on this year, and you’re glad you did, because objectively it wasn’t your highest priority?
11. What’s a skill you have gained confidence with this year?
12. What simple pleasures have you especially enjoyed this year?
13. What did you change your mind about this year, that you are glad about?
14. What did you try that didn’t work out, but the process of trying it moved your thinking forward in a helpful way?
15. How did your self-perception change this year? In what ways have you started to see yourself more positively than you did previously?
16. How has what you enjoy shifted this year?
17. What mattered to you this year and how did you honour that?
Summing Up
If you’re self-critical, you might be thinking about things you wish you’d accomplished this year but didn’t. Hopefully, these questions have prompted you to see achievements and personal successes you’ve been overlooking.
We often look back to check off goals and the to do list. I hope these questions help you see the year less in terms of just checking off goals, and to think more broadly about how you’re evolving as a person and a parent. So the final question is:
When I think of all my reflections that I write here; What is it, that I most need to form as a priority for me, as I look forward to next year?
Merry Christmas from all of us to all of you.
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