By Rebecca Boyle
It’s the new year and we are back to work after the holidays. (I hope yours were good. Mine were.) The best part of my holiday break was spending some downtime with my family. After traveling to Cleveland for Christmas, we enjoyed a few days at home in our jammies and comfy clothes and we really didn’t do much. It was perfect! Taking that little bit of time to slow down and recharge made me feel happier and more relaxed—and ready to tackle the new year!
A photo of my little family taken during the big Boyle family photo shoot in Cleveland at Christmas.
Here are three things I did during the holidays that made me feel happy.
Hanging out with my kids
Whether we were watching kid’s shows and cuddling on the couch, reading books together, playing Uno, having a coloring contest, taking a family walk, or they were showing me all the cool things on the tablets Santa got them, I enjoyed hanging out with Paddy (age 8), Marcy (7), and Tommy (2) without having to rush out the door to be somewhere by a certain time.
Going on two dates with my husband
My husband Tim and I went on two dates over the holidays—one for our 11th wedding anniversary and one for my birthday. With our jobs, the kids, and his busy basketball coaching schedule, two dates in two weeks is not normal for us. It was fun to eat warm food that we didn’t have to prepare, enjoy a few adult beverages, and have conversations that weren’t constantly interrupted.
Reading books by myself
I have always loved to read. When I was younger, I would curl up with a good book and read it all in one sitting. I’d feel like I was part of the story and stay up way too late to find out what happened. These days, I’m usually reading an ebook from the library on my phone at short random times, like while I’m blow drying my hair, during my lunch break, and when the kids are in bed and I’ve decided to ignore the dishes and laundry. While I did not read a whole book in one sitting over the holidays, I was able to stay up way too late and read for a few hours straight.
Hope you were able to find some time to do what you love during the holidays as well!