Happy New Year to everyone!
This holiday season turned out to be one of the most intense I have ever experienced. So much happened that at times I completely forgot that I am pregnant. I once read that stay-at-home mothers get an average of 17 minutes of quiet, uninterrupted time for themselves each day. I’m not sure I managed to reach that number every day during the holidays. Sometimes all you can do is laugh, even when the situation itself is far from funny.
Still, I want to begin with gratitude, because even in the middle of chaos, there were many good and grounding moments.
The Things I Am Grateful For
I was able to spend Christmas in my childhood home, just as I had hoped. That alone felt deeply meaningful and comforting. The children were wonderful throughout it all. My daughter helped so much, both with household tasks and with her younger brother. Watching her step into that role filled me with pride.
Our son is developing quickly and is already almost standing on his own, just needing a light touch for balance. Despite everything, I managed to eat well, enjoy traditional holiday food, and even get surprisingly good sleep. Physically, I feel strong and capable. I have no pregnancy-related discomforts, and I’m grateful for the energy that allowed me to keep going.
Most importantly, our family is still together. Everyone is alive. Everyone is here. That truth outweighs everything else.
When Everything Feels Like Too Much
Alongside the good, there was a lot of emotional and practical strain. There were conflicts within the family that made the holidays heavier than they should have been. I don’t want to place blame, and things have since settled, but at the time it was draining and painful.
Then my partner’s father was taken to the hospital by ambulance and ended up staying there for weeks. My partner had to return home to care for the animals, which meant I spent the holidays alone with the children. Almost immediately, practical problems followed. We ran out of gas, a door handle broke, and I spent entire days heating the stove and fireplace just to keep the house warm. Basic survival tasks took all my energy.
Soon after, our son became ill. My partner returned, and I took our son to the hospital, where we stayed for five days. Thankfully, it wasn’t anything severe, and he recovered well, but his second birthday was spent in a hospital room. My partner and daughter were able to visit briefly. They brought cake and gifts, and being able to hug them meant more than I can describe. I shared the cake with the hospital staff, and later they came to sing to my son and gave him a small teddy bear. It was a moment of kindness I will never forget.
New Year’s Eve I spent alone, looking out through the hospital window. I felt sadness about not being with my family, while my son slept beside me. At the same time, the sky outside was full of fireworks. It was strangely beautiful, and for a moment, the world felt both heavy and hopeful at once.
Returning Home Without Rest
There was no real rest waiting at home. Laundry, cleaning, bathing children, practicing choir repertoire—life continued at full speed. The body may be tired, but responsibilities don’t pause.
The Strength of Children and Family
How did your holidays go? I truly hope they were less dramatic than ours.
Even so, I want to emphasize how incredibly well the children have coped. Since recovering from illness, our son has been in a wonderful mood—happy, calm, eating everything, and sleeping well. Our daughter has been exceptional. She draws and writes like a schoolchild, even though she is only four. She helps, tidies up, eats well, and sleeps peacefully.
The conflicts affected her more than I realized. She asked us to stop arguing. That moment stayed with me deeply, and it is something we truly must take seriously.
My partner has also carried an enormous load. He has taken care of our daughter, managed work and animals, stayed informed about his father’s condition, driven his mother where needed, and helped at home in every way possible. He admitted that all of this has been stressful, but he is managing. I am grateful for his strength and presence, even in exhaustion.
Now, we are trying to take January more slowly. We hope his father can come home soon and recover well. When that happens, I believe everyone’s mood will lift, and life will feel a little lighter again.
Sometimes the beginning of a new year doesn’t arrive quietly or gently. Sometimes it arrives demanding strength you didn’t know you had. And somehow, you find it—through your children, your partner, and the simple decision to keep going.
One of the biggest lessons this holiday season has taught me is how vital family togetherness is — not just during celebrations, but in everyday life. Research shows that family cohesion and shared experiences contribute significantly to emotional well-being, resilience, and a sense of belonging for both parents and children. If you’re interested in reading more about the scientific perspective on this, here’s an open-access article that explores the psychological benefits of family bonds and parenting rewards:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3489165/
You are not alone in this.
If you would like to go deeper, you can buy the e-book Our Journey – A Different Path for honest reflections and lived experience beyond this post: https://payhip.com/b/c9s3b
You can also purchase supportive routine templates designed to help parents and children navigate daily life with more clarity, structure, and understanding: https://payhip.com/b/RYA65
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