The Fine Art of Slothing

After quickly Googling “are sloths nocturnal?” I’ve quasi-scientifically determined that we are indeed turning into a family of sloths.  Just like last Christmas vacation and the one before that.

I blame it on the fun new Wii games all four of us end up playing at night, nudging bedtimes later and later.  I blame it on the fact that we turn the heater off before we go to bed, making it frigid in the morning and pretty much impossible to get out from under our toasty covers – especially when we don’t have anything urgent waiting for us when we get up.

I adore the slow pace that follows the Christmas frenzy.  New toys keep everyone happily occupied while the fact that thank you notes must be written adds a modicum of structure and brainwork to the day.  All sports, dance and art classes are mercifully suspended, freeing up the last few days of vacation for a little unstructured meandering.  The neighborhood kids bounce from house to house while the adults stop by to happily help get rid of the random beer or odd bottle of champagne left lingering in the fridge and taking up space that really should be reserved for vegetables this time of year.

While I’m already starting to feel the pull of next week’s return to busy, I’m reminding myself to savor the camaraderie and calm of unscheduled family life – perhaps the best gift the holiday season can offer people and sloths alike.