It’s Black Friday and I am stocking up for the season in a different way. With the forecast bringing rain and snowflakes for the day, we’re staying in. I have allowed the kids to overindulge on video games while I overindulge on Thanksgiving dinner leftovers and create “Hallmark” moments for myself to stock up on peace and joy as I cross over into the December holidays.
As always, overindulging will bring consequences later, but what’s life without adventure? My kids will be cranky from way too much screen time and not enough eating and breathing oxygen. I will wonder how I never managed to fit in some exercising and why I let myself eat so much for a second night that I can’t sleep.
It’s totally worth it.
Stocking up on peace and joy involved creating a “Hallmark” day for myself which began with trying to define what should be included in my day. It needed to be fun and easy and feel like I am stocking up on joyful moments to keep me feeling the magic as things get a bit hectic.
My wardrobe should be my PJ’s, I should probably look for a Hallmark holiday movie and I wanted to create a picture for my holiday cards. These were the basics.
One of my favorite holiday things to do is to create my own cards using my art or photography. I do not get around to creating as much as I would like to but I make it a priority to create my own cards. My Black Friday pressure this year came in the form of needing to get a design finished so I could take advantage of the sales at the site I use to print my cards.
But I drew a blank.
I got out a few magazines to see if I could find inspiration for a design. Nothing. I really didn’t feel like trying to bake and decorate something to photograph. Too much work for my “Hallmark” day. It was supposed to be easy.
I sat down with my watercolors and just started painting. Blech. Yuck. Nope. Ugly. Nothing looked like it should show up in someone’s special holiday mail. But then, I had an idea. A simple idea. I drew it out and I liked it. After a second draft, it went to the scanner and presented itself in front of the Photoshop Editor. After some tweaking, I approved.
Yes, I like it!
My daughter adventured into my Hallmark moment so I asked for her opinion. She thought it needed more. I didn’t.
Who asked her any way?
But I decided to give it a try because it is just a card and allowing her creative juices to be included in the finished product will bring more joy than leaving it as the design I created.
I did veto her concern that it’s too green.
It’s not.
With my holiday card finished and off to the printers, including a hefty Black Friday discount, I was free to see what kind of Hallmark movie was playing at the moment. I’ll be honest. I never get into Hallmark movies. I want to, I just can’t. But for some reason, I really really want to this year, so I turned on the TV with good intentions. As I read the descriptions of the movies currently playing, I was just not excited about them.
Then, I had a great idea. I searched the TV guide and found exactly what I was in the mood for. Jimmy Fallon’s Thanksgiving Special, on demand. That hit the spot. There’s always tomorrow to try Hallmark again, right?
Feeling like I should probably check on the kids, I headed to the tech world and then into the kitchen to warm up some leftovers. Next up? A bubble bath.
My Hallmark bubble bath was too hot. After some adjusting, I settled in. Ahhhhh.
A little nightlight was on providing a cozy glow and I had holiday jazz playing in the background. But that’s where the Hallmark ended. My leftover-stuffed belly stuck out of the water like an island that was distracting and always in view. My large male cat, who cannot resist any kind of water sound, found me and perched himself on the side of the tub. He stayed the whole entire bath trying to lick the water off my skin and drink the hot bubbly bath water. Distracted by the unplanned but humorous ambiance, I cut my bath short.
Wearing clean PJ’s as I head into the evening portion of my Hallmark day, I’m feeling my options thinning. The kids will need to eat something beyond gingerbread house fixings, pumpkin pie and potato chips. There are holiday shows on TV tonight to be ready for and I still haven’t attempted to exercise, which I actually enjoy. It might even free up some space for some more food.
My day has brought me peace and joy even though it played out as more reality show than Hallmark show. I feel ready to tackle the tasks of the season as I spend the next week digging through boxes looking for decorations, shopping for just the right gift – I absolutely love gifting, and maneuvering the daily routines that I will be happy to get back to after having been on quarantine.
What’s in your Hallmark moment?
