23rd of December

It’s the 23rd of December, and I’m finally easing into the sense of Christmas, which comes with slowing down after weeks of juggling tasks in an uncoordinated way.

I should have been smarter by now, I think. After years of piling up dozens of notes and ideas on time and life management, after making plan after plan, when will I finally master it?

Yet, as long as I can feel the affirming excitement of high hopes, I guess it’s cool. Life’s challenges aren’t a piece of cake, after all. There will always be plenty more opportunities to practice acceptance, letting go of disappointment, and staying present through all the emotions, despite the frequent overload of tasks.

In truth, I may never fully master it, but the joy lies in the doing and learning anyway, not so much in the final accomplishment.

The time between Christmas and New Year’s is one of my favourite times of the year. I have a few days in a row to myself and to slowly make notes and plans. For example, my “26 for 26” list—26 things I want to do in the coming year. A few weeks ago, I found my “word of the year,” something I want to especially focus on in 2026.

It`s also a time to name what’s been missing, which is important to move forward in the right direction.

Most of all, I need to remember that it’s pretty pointless to try to make things work on my own. It’s through prayer and faith that the right things will come naturally. I’ve experienced that before, but I still forget sometimes. It`s faith that makes the difference and it`s also what makes life doable. It gives us reason to let go of the constant hustle, take a deep breath, get out of our heads and be present again.

Especially during Christmas which is prone to being full of expectations I want to let go of these on purpose and instead be aware of two things:

My favourite quote from the Christmas Chronicles by Nigel Slater: “A welcoming drink, may I suggest, is not just about other people. Something good in a glass can be a rather lovely way to welcome our own arrival home.” (Which to me is a reminder to look after myself, too).

And most of all: that we`re celebrating that Jesus came. Which essentially means for us that we don`t have to get all things right trying to live by a rule book but the only thing required from us is to have faith and that`s it – nothing more.