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Daria

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13 comments on Intentional Holiday Plans?

Intentional Holiday Plans?

Kendra Adachi released a great bonus episode today talking about intentional holidays.

Interestingly, just yesterday I sat down and spent some time thinking and journaling about how I want the holidays to feel. More specifically, how do I want that week between Christmas and New Years to feel?

Lay of the land: I’m off, the kids are off, my husband is working.

Kendra lays it out like this: 1. determine your purpose and 2. have some tentative ideas on how to spend the time.

So…

Purpose: I want to rest, spend quality time with family, get caught up on life, have some adventures.

Ideas

Rest: naps, books, winter walks, white space, quiet and alone time. Exercise! Move! Stretch. Visit the coffee shop alone. Reflect, reflect, reflect. Set some intentions. Look back on 2025, let go.

Family: movies, puzzles, local adventures (NYC), hiking the reservation, explore a new place to eat (eat in or take out), read together, and play. Also, put feelers out to whoever is in town that week for a play date.

Catch up on life: declutter more spaces in our house, make cookies, make borscht, make kotlety. My passport and kids’ passports. Make a plan for our summer trip to Russia. Tentatively sketch out big rocks of 2026.

Adventures: a day trip to NYC, hiking, coffee shop, library. Go to a movie with one kid?..

What would be your purpose for that week? What are some ideas how you want to spend that time?

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Daria

Mother, teacher, partner, friend. I love coffee, books, and travel with and without kids. I dislike exercise. Nothing glamorous here but do have moments of insight.

13 responses to “Intentional Holiday Plans?”

  1. Melissa Avatar
    Melissa

    That sounds like a good plan for you with lots of good things to choose from. I will be my parents place so mainly I’ll be wanting to spend time with family, rest (Beach hopefully) and read my books.

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    1. Daria Avatar
      Daria

      Lovely, Melissa. I finally finished my current novel by G. Brooks.

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  2. J Avatar
    J

    I love this week, it is perhaps my favorite week of the year. I still feel all cozy and happy from Christmas, but I don’t feel any of the pre-holiday stress. My birthday is that week, so we always do something fun. But I’m kind of peopled out, so that something fun is usually low key. Maybe a museum and a restaurant. Usually not a party. I love your plans, I hope you have some good unwinding time.

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    1. Daria Avatar
      Daria

      I am peopled out pretty much every week since I closely work with young people who can be unpredictable sometimes. You are right about post-stress holidays once Christmas is over, I just sigh out with relief.

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  3. Grateful Kae Avatar
    Grateful Kae

    We leave for Ireland tomorrow, but reading J’s comment made me think how nice it would be some year for us to all just be off for the whole break. Usually I use so many PTO days on travel at other times that I have to work the days around Christmas, but the idea of a long stretch off, as J says, to just relax and enjoy the holidays WITHOUT the pre-Christmas stress sounds really lovely. We will be around new years week but of course, I’m working most of those days… hopefully we can still squeeze in some chill time, maybe a movie that week and some other fun.

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    1. Daria Avatar
      Daria

      I can’t wait to read about Ireland!!!! I went there in spring of 2012 and it was beautiful. Bon voyage!

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  4. Lisa’s Yarns Avatar
    Lisa’s Yarns

    Our kids have child care mom/tues so we will work those days and then we go to my parents for a quick weekend trip the 26-28. And then Will is staying with them for the next week! He’s excited and they are excited so everybody wins. Paul has care mon, tues and fri of the last week of break. I will work the morning of the 24th and 31st. So I am kind of in and out and things are quieting down so it’s not a bad time to work. Phil can’t take time off at this time of year so we tend to work and use the care programs NSD care. Then it’s not too much time at home for us. A 2 week break at home would be tough this time of year at the kids’ ages with our cold weather. Your plan sounds great, though, especially the day trip to NYC!!

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    1. Daria Avatar
      Daria

      I am just so tired… and those plans are definitely tentative. I am alone with R this weekend because Lyra and T are in Maine so it’s a completely different experience.

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  5. Kari Avatar
    Kari

    I love your ideas- they remind me of when I was in the busy season of mothering. I also love reading about your life and the lives of other moms in the comments. I do miss those days sometimes, but I’m grateful for where I am now too. 😘💜

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    1. Daria Avatar
      Daria

      It’s a hard season, for sure. But when I look at my friend whose baby just turned one and her older son is 5, if like “I don’t envy you” BUT- I did it, too and I don’t know how I made it. Lyra was 2 y 2 mo when Rainn was born… So when he was one and uncontrollable, she was 3 and also uncontrollable…

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  6. NGS Avatar
    NGS

    My purpose would to spend as much time with the cat as possible. I think it might be her last holiday season and I want to cherish all the cuddles I possibly can! (Maybe by writing this out, she’ll actually be around for years and years to come. I hope so.)

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    1. Daria Avatar
      Daria

      Oh. Yeah. When pets go, part of our souls go with them.

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  7. goodbye, December+hello, January – Mom of Children Avatar
    goodbye, December+hello, January – Mom of Children

    […] between Christmas and New Years (plus a few extra days) was wonderful. I had grand plans (NYC day trip! Brooklyn Botanical Gardens! The Intrepid […]

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