It is hard to believe that we are heading towards the end of 2020! While many of us are ready to bid this year farewell, I’m okay with going slowly through this season. Advent and Christmastime are, by far, my favorite time of year and I’m not quite ready to see them pass us by just yet. A blessing of this particular year, though, is the gift of a slow Christmas season – most, if not all, holiday parties and gatherings are cancelled, many of us are shopping online, and it just seems like the year to ready our hearts for a restful and joyful holiday. I am particularly guilty of committing and over-filling my schedule, so this year, I’m looking forward to focusing my attention on my traditions and simpler joys of the season.

November Goals

• Write out my gratitude using this Write the Word journal.
• Brainstorm and purchase Christmas gifts for our families
• Find two new-to-us hiking trails
• Order our Christmas cards
• Host our families for Thanksgiving (for the first time!)
• Write at least one blog post in advance
• Utilize Black Friday sales to get a deal on appliance upgrade

December Goals

• Prepare my heart for Christmas though Advent devotion (I’m doing this one!) and read the Book of Luke with Jody
• Have an End of Year date night with Jody
• Finish reading my last two books of the year – “The Unwinding of the Miracle” and “Such a Fun Age“
• Order + mail Christmas cards!
• Celebrate four years of blogging (!!) and share fun holiday content
• Savor Christmas season and celebrate with joy!