A Season of Expectation and Hope

 Note: This was written on December 17, 2025, but never published. It's fully a month later, but I've decided to post and back-date it, so I'd have the record of what I was thinking about the week before Christmas.  

We're about a week out from the Big Day, and I am feeling remarkably zen about it.  I have very nearly finished my shopping, know more or less what I bought for whom (more or less), and am embracing a sense of chill merriment for the season.

This is so historically unlike me that I am not sure I know who I am anymore.  Maybe it's because my children are all adults now or maybe it's because I am fully embracing my fairy light era -- I don't know exactly what combination of holiday magic is conspiring to holly my jollies, but you better believe I'm taking notes so I can try to recreate it next year.

One thing that I know for sure is contributing to my delight in the season is an aggressive pursuit of coziness (see above, re: fairy lights) coupled with some intentional crafting.   I'm often comfortably ensconced on my couch, under a festive holiday blanket of my own making, staring at a beautiful tree and other festive bits and bobs, and this year I'm knitting not one, but two pairs of advent socks. 

I am not sure why I decided to two pairs exactly -- I usually only knit one in December, but here we are.  Shockingly I'm keeping up with both pairs -- heel day was a bit of a marathon, but otherwise it's been smooth sailing. 

Future Bekah here again.  I didn't have a photo from that week, but (SPOILERS!) I finished both pair a day or two after Christmas.

In fact I'm enjoying it so much, and had so much success with the "few rows a day" experiment with the cabled sock, that I am planning to carry on with something similar in January.  I'm not making any big announcements about an annual goal or anything, but in January I'm planning to cast on a patterned sock and knit somewhere around 12 rounds a day until they are done.  

Basically, I'm riffing off of Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's Self-Imposed Sock Club, but one month at a time and I'm picking the patterns as I go.  If I do it more than once.  

If it goes well and if I still like it, I might do it again in February.  You don't know.