Notes from December 2022

This essay originally appeared in the Monday morning newsletter on 1/9/23.

One of the things I want to carry forward from 2022 in 2023 is a focus on monthly goals, memories and progress.

Writing monthly “recaps” has become one of my favorite ways to remember the little things that happen over the course of the month. And breaking down some of the intentions I have for 2023 into monthly goals feels like a more manageable way to make progress on things I hope to do this year. 

Today, I’m sharing notes from December and next week I’ll be back with my January goals. 

Even though we are already into January, it felt nice to take a beat and reflect back on December, which is always a packed month. Sharing some of my highlights below that I hope to remember.

Notes from December 2022:

• The holiday season has come and gone, but I’m feeling good about how I leaned into things and really experienced it. I think listening to Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year: A Little Book of Festive Joy really helped me define what’s so special about the holidays to me, personally. Doing that helped me determine what to make time for (and what to skip!) and pushed me to be really present during those favorite things. I’m planning on listening to the book again next December!
• At the beginning of December, Matt and I did a holiday staycation and it was SO FUN! I absolutely love downtown Chicago at Christmastime, but since I’m usually heading down to Florida the week before Christmas, I sometimes worry that I’m not taking full advantage of the magic just a few miles outside my door. I’m so glad we had a whole day and night dedicated to walking around downtown to take in the lights, decorated storefronts, busy sidewalks, eat a festive dinner and, of course, see the big Christmas tree in Grant Park. Doing it at the beginning of the month was a perfect way to kickoff the holiday season.
• I landed in Orlando the Saturday before Christmas Eve, and the next day, my mom and I went to an adorable town about 30 minutes away from us (Mount Dora). It was ALL decked out for the holidays. It had been a while since I’d been there, but I’m hoping this becomes an annual tradition too.  
• I cherish that week in between Christmas and New Year’s where the whole world seems to slow down a bit. I didn’t work those in-between days and enjoyed using the time to rest and to plan for 2023. One of my favorite things I did? I scheduled an email to myself of holiday reminders (what worked/what not to forget next year/what I enjoyed). I wanted to document everything while it was fresh in my mind, but I won’t see the the note again until it appears in my inbox at the beginning of October! (Yes, I realize this might be a little much, but it made me happy, haha)
• In December, I also took my first PELOTON RIDE! Matt recently moved his brother’s bike into his apartment and I’m quite enjoying being able to try it out. With no need to go outside to get a great workout, this will be a gamechanger for cold winter weather! If you are a Peloton devotee – tell me… which instructors should I take? What classes your favorites? Any tips for making it easy to buckle your shoes in?!

Do you have any monthly check-in rituals? Would love to hear about it!