On Friday, it will be my son’s first Christmas. It will also be his 1st birthday four days later. I’ve congratulated myself and my husband on surviving this year. 

Mister Pick worked a total of 8 weeks in the office this year. He was home for three weeks after Jack was born, then when it was clear that coronavirus was a thing that needed considerable consideration, he started working from home since he had two vulnerable people at home.

That was on the 13th of March.

My family is in Florida and his family is in Liverpool, so we had little to no support during this year and even if we did have anyone living nearby, it wasn’t as if anyone could have come over anyway. But the amount of times I thought I was going insane from sleep deprivation, plus not being able to go anywhere for ages was just so, unbelievably tough for all of us.

I was trying to look after a newborn, Mister Pick was working, Jack was trying to suss out colic and sleep and all the other millions of things babies need to go through as they develop into a one-year-old. We all did this together and I’m so grateful for the time we’ve had.

So, this Christmas I’m making even more of an effort to celebrate. It’s always hard for me this time of year when I’m away from my parents and there’s no Florida sunshine to wake up to on Christmas morning (it’s something you definitely miss when you don’t have it). And this year we couldn’t have flown to visit even if we’d wanted to risk it because London is in Tier 4 lockdown. This means I have to make the most of it. I have to do my best and make Christmas a happy time for all of us because what else can I do? Why feel down about it when there are so many other things I can be grateful for?

As this year winds down to a close, I’ll miss this special time we’ve had together as a family. Of course, I’ll look forward to next Christmas when socially distanced Santa and canceled parties aren’t a thing. I’ll look back on this time as a blessing because we’ve had so many memories made together as a family despite what’s going on in the world.