#HollyJollyHodges

The holidays might be over and the Christmas cheer has inevitably passed, but I wanted to still share the first Christmas with just my girl and I.

The past month, weeks, and days have been such a fun time with her and a wonderful distraction from everything else going on in life. That's the joy of the holidays. The hustle and bustle of making the most of the magical time of year. We spend our days shopping for sweet gifts, then wrapping said gifts, only to see them instantly demolished within seconds. There are Santa train rides and family movie nights where the best part is snuggling on the couch underneath a soft blanket with a fistful of popcorn at your disposal.

Seriously...it's hashtag the most wonderful frickin' time of the year.

Oh...and that damn Elf on the Shelf. 

Can I share something with you mamas without fear of judgement?

This was the one and only time I moved poor Bing the Elf for the whole month of December. 

Yeah, I know...I suck. 

I had grand intentions of stealing Pinterest ideas and setting him up in elaborate and hilarious situations but I became L-A-Z-Y very very quickly. Nights would pass where I would be cuddled in on the couch ready to relax and unwind; when the Santa lovin' son of a bitch would be glaring at me from her kitchen set just begging me to move him. 

I'd procrastinate, say that I'd move him before bed...before work...before Amaya woke up...

Before. Before. Before. 

All empty promises, my friends. 

That sad little red man sat at the bottom of my tote bag for a sweet chunk of December, minus the week that I 'misplaced' (read: lost) him. 

There's always next year, right?

Was I sad to see this holiday season go?
Yes and no.

Yes, because I absolutely love Christmas and all the good cheer and positive energy it brings out in most people. It's that time of year where everyone is in the giving spirit and especially after the negative vibes of 2016, it was nice to end our second to last holiday on a peaceful and positive note.

No, well because it was our first holiday as a duo and not a trio and that was a hard pill to swallow. I'll fully admit that many tears were shed on Christmas Eve. For what was, what it could've been, and what it is. On a brighter note, we have been able to seamlessly co-parent and we were able to make our new normal and holiday for her as best as we possibly could.

It was a good season and holiday, one that will go in the books as a first and one of our best.
Hope everyone had a blessed and magical holiday season.