So, my Monthly Memo series is my one post a month where I talk about all things me. What’s going on in my personal life, what I’ve been up to for the past month, and where I’m headed next. This is #5. December 2019. Oh where to begin with December. I didn’t post a single blog post in all of December because work and then family absolutely took over. And I loved it. I had my first December working for an agency, my first Scottish Christmas, my first Christmas with Angus’s family, my first Hogmanay in Edinburgh. So many firsts! Busy and magical, that was December.
My first December working for an agency…
So busy! I’m also studying part time and I studied the last week of November, and my last week at work in December. It’s so hard to keep on top of studies and work together, this is something I’m still struggling to balance a bit. Moving forward, I won’t have so many courses so close together so it should be a bit easier.
But boy o boy, December was busy. Someone from the office was out every single night in December. It was (thankfully) not always me, and I was able to make it through relatively unscathed by a horrible hangover. And as busy as December was, I absolutely loved it! I love having people in and out of the office, I love meeting new people in my courses and getting new ideas. When you work in marketing, Christmastime is full of (advertising) ideas.
My first Scottish Christmas…
Every year of my life I’ve spent Christmas in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Surrounded by my big old Italian immigrant family. Loud, inappropriate, lasagna for dinner, that’s what I’m used to. It wasn’t a possibility this year as I had just started a new job, just been home in September and couldn’t find the time or money to go back in December.
We’re clearly big family people so I was really apprehensive about how I’d feel about missing out. The FOMO was real, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I didn’t miss the snow, I didn’t really notice it was missing. One of my sisters didn’t go home either so I didn’t feel entirely like the odd one out, and I knew that my parents and sisters would be visiting me here in Edinburgh for Hogmanay. All that said, it would not have been okay if I’d spent Christmas without any family at all.
My first Christmas with Angus’s family…
As I understand it spending time with your partner’s family is a source of stress for a lot of people. I, personally, cannot relate. I think it’s because Angus was always so stressed about introducing us that I was too busy managing his anxiety to get anxious myself. And I’ve lucked out in that his family are perfectly normal and perfectly lovely! Our Christmas together was exactly like my Christmases at home had been like, just a bit quieter. Some new traditions were started (going to the pub on Christmas eve is not a thing in Canada), but for the most part we just ate family meals and spent time snoozing on the sofa. Standard. It was the relaxing time away from Edinburgh that I needed and I’m so grateful for it.
My first Hogmanay in Edinburgh…
Admittedly, I lured my family over to Scotland by sending them pictures of the torchlight procession. My parents and two sisters came and went over the last week of December/first week of January. Only one of my sisters and my parents were here for Hogmanay, but we celebrated with Angus’s sister and her partner so we still had a big crowd! And no, I didn’t go to the street party. Who looks at pictures of those crowds and thinks ‘that’s where I want to be!’?! Sheer and utter madness. It was dinner at First Coast, drinks at Montpeliers, and the bells and fireworks in Bruntsfield Links for us. It was absolutely perfect. Next year, hopefully we’ll celebrate somewhere else. I feel like we did Edinburgh right already, there’s no way we can top this!
Here’s wishing you’ve all enjoyed your December/Christmas/New Years Eve/holidays! I just want to say that January can be a tough time for a lot of people. Switching from relaxing with family, to going back to work and going back to your lonely apartment life can be quite the change. Everyone’s all like ‘New year positivity ONLY!!!’ on social media and i am here to say I am not having it. I am taking it easy. Not wallowing, but if I want to stay in and cuddle after work and eat a bowl full of onion rings, that’s what I’m doing. Make your transitions easier, go slow and be easy on yourself.
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