Yesterday the calendar page turned to December. And because I sauntered through November, hobbled by a bandaged hand, now I am feeling the rush to get all the things done to tie up 2024 with a ribbon and make holidays happy for myself and others.
Pressure builds as I resist this highly active wrap up. Is 2024 the year I sort myself out and avoid the stress? Probably not, because here are the things I anticipate doing:
- Nengajo. This is important to me. My holiday cards are individually hand drawn in the tradition of my father. I love keeping up this tradition and enjoy coming up with the designs every year. It’s the final design of the 12-year Chinese zodiac cycle featuring elephants and the zodiac animal. This year my list is about 40 people. Today I start drawing, though I lost my preliminary sketch, so I need to do that over first.
- Barn & shed. These structures are sitting there, looming large and waiting for me to organise, clean and put them to use. Maybe this will not happen this month but I’d like it to, so I will push forward. I started painting the shed yesterday and I want to finish that up today.
- Gifting. My purchases for family in the US happened this morning and are the same as always – I am that far-flung relative who sends fruit baskets and food gifts. It’s a 20+ year tradition now. Tod & I agreed on fancy electric toothbrushes for one another this year – a long-wished for item for Tod – and we’ll get each other some consumables like chocolate.
- Ending Note. I am working on a end-of-life workbook that is drafted and ready for layout. I’d like to get that done this month in time for encouraging people to buy it as a new year resolution experience.
- Harvesting. There is a whole field of turmeric waiting for my wrist to be strong enough to dig. And one doesn’t just harvest – the turmeric needs to be washed, dried and given away or processed into whatever I decide I am doing with it this year.
- Baking. I love to bake cookies. But to be honest, I don’t need to be eating cookies after having gained four kilos this year on Atenolol. It will be hard to resist, but I might set this task aside this year.
- Decorating. I already made our “tree” for this year as part of my handcraft club exhibit. I will string some lights and whatever else strikes my fancy. I still haven’t figured out how to decorate effectively for holidays and parties in this house.
- Christmas dinner. Every year is different, but I always want to make it memorable. We have celebrated Christmas at home, in restaurants, on vacation, during workdays and more. This year, who knows?
- Theme word. I search my soul for a guide word to help me focus and direct my activities in the coming year. This will be the 17th time I’ve selected and illustrated a theme. I have not even a hint of what it’s going to be. I need to sit in meditation, search my dreams, or plop down with a thesaurus.
- Year in photos. I’ve been doing this for just a few years. I enjoy reviewing all the snaps and picking one per month or grouping them by category to tell my story in pictures. The editing process helps me to remember all the things I accomplished, which is important for my mental health.
- 25 Words. A year end summary in 25 words is always a good mental challenge. It will hit its 24th anniversary this year. Getting older means that traditions (even those started on a whim) rack up longevity. I feel pressure not to break the streak.
- Bonenkai. Year end parties to “forget the year” involve heavy drinking. I am attending one tomorrow where I intend to keep my drinking on the light side.
- Osouji. Year-end deep cleaning ensures the house is spic-and-span for the new year. This is when you wash all the curtains and carpets, dig into the crevices of kitchen appliances, and really go beyond the usual swipe of the dust cloth. Osouji needs to be completed by December 28th.
Just typing this up has made me tired and now I feel like I am procrastinating. To save myself some effort finishing up the post, I let WordPress’s AI generate an image based on what I wrote. Interesting…
I am going press “Publish” here and get on with I am doing today – drawing nengajou and painting the shed – and from there I will take it one task and one day at a time.
