Goodbye Christmas, hello new space

This is Daily Dadspeak—daily reflections on becoming a dad, while still growing up myself. You can find the full mini-pod audio list here.

This weekend we took down our Christmas tree and all the decorations. We always wait until after King’s Day on January 6th, which is actually more popular in some Barcelona households than Christmas Day. But after that it’s time move on. (and time for Caga Tió to disappear until next year.)

It’s always a little sad. We’ve been looking forward to this holiday season since November—buying presents, watching Christmas films, hoping for snow—and now it’s come to an end. It’s also a reminder that yet another year has come and gone. Each year passing a little faster than the one before.

But we’re also ready to move on. I don’t know about you, but I don’t get as much done over the holidays. Too many extra distractions and never-ending Christmas to-do lists.

It also feels good to clear the house and return it to a ground state. Clearing the clutter helps clear your mind so you can move on to new things.

And this year, we took it one step further. As soon as we had the Christmas stuff out of the way, we completely rearranged the furniture. Swapped two rooms entirely. We find that making a change like this helps erase any lingering sentimental residue from the Christmas void.

It’s also the case that most of our actions are triggered by familiar habits in familiar spaces. So changing up the space can also help loosen up some repeated ways of thinking and doing. At least I find it to be a useful reset for starting a new year.

→ As you move into 2022, ask yourself: what do you want to remember at this time next year?

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