12 Days of Christmas: Grateful for 2020
It’s a funny thought, feeling grateful for 2020. This year has been unlike any other in its challenges, and disappointingly lacking in its rewards. A whole world on pause, a whole lifestyle completely flipped upside down. I keep thinking back to what life was like before March, and I almost can’t believe it. It feels like a strange TV show.
Did I really go into the office every day, walk to Asda on my lunch break, wait 20 minutes for the bus home? Did I really pop over to my Nan’s whenever I fancied, for a cuppa and a catch up? Did I really wander lazily into town to browse around the shops, then meet my boyfriend for dinner and a movie?
I’ve been working from home since March, and through all the ups and downs of lockdown, I’ve mostly stayed inside my flat. I know I’ve been lucky – my job allows me to work from home with ease, and after the initial craze of the first lockdown, everything from my food to my birthday presents could be delivered straight to my door. I’ve had plenty of time to think about what I’ve been grateful for, and I’d like to share them with you.
Slowing down
When I think back to January or February this year, the thing that strikes me the most is how busy everything was. I was always running around, hopping on and off buses, doing all these things. Meeting friends, going to exercise classes, travelling to London, going to concerts. I never really stopped, because even on the weekend, I was still fully booked with activities.
Fast forward to March, and everything grinds to a halt. There were some withdrawal symptoms to begin with – a sense of never-ending boredom, a restlessness that lead me to start running every other day. But after a while… I started to get used to it. I’ve been saying for years that I want to slow down, to really appreciate life day-by-day, and this year I have.
Rather than feeling restricted, I felt like I’d been given permission to live the life I wanted – a slow, happy life with lots of TV, crafting, reading and baths. Of course, I missed seeing friends and family, but I was grateful to have my weekends all to myself, with no commitments or events. As the restrictions lifted over the summer, I found a happy balance between being sociable and spending time with myself, and I hope to take that forwards into whatever 2021 looks like.
Investing in my small business
I opened a small online store selling cards, prints and stationery back in 2018, and I’ve been creating and selling beautiful products ever since. But while I have a little money put aside for buying new products, I’ve always struggled to find time to work on designing them. Squeezing drawing sessions into my lunch breaks and before bed, I’ve just about managed to get by, but investing more time and energy in my small business is something I’ve wanted to do for a while.
Here we are in 2020, and despite still working full-time, I’ve been putting so much effort into improving my store. Designing beautiful new products, researching social media marketing, improving my store’s descriptions so people can find my products more easily - lockdown lifestyle has given me plenty of time outside my working hours to improve my small business.
On top of that, I’ve discovered that I have a true passion for supporting small businesses, and I’ve re-invented my weekly blog to focus on promoting and celebrating indie brands. I’ve been able to invest time and money into designing a new website and setting up an Instagram account, and I’m so happy to be working on blog posts that promote shopping small – for example, I’ve curated ten Gift Guides to encourage people to shop from small businesses this Christmas, and writing them has probably been my favourite part of this year. It’s something I want to keep doing, and if my blog posts inspire even one person to buy something, I’ll be over the moon!
Working from home
I remember the first day I worked from home, back in March. It was the strangest feeling to sit down at my own computer, in my own bedroom, and work on projects for my full-time job. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t exactly like it either – I missed the buzz of the office, and chatting to my work friends in the kitchen.
Over time though, that has changed. I’ve really fallen in love with working from my little desk at home. I can set the heating at a level that suits me, drink as many hot chocolates as I want without worrying about using up the office milk, and I feel so much more comfortable and confident in my own space. Sometimes I still miss the chatter of the office, but I’ve discovered a whole range of fantastic podcasts and audiobooks that provide background noise for my working day. And yes, I’ll be the first to admit that sometimes I wear pyjamas all day, but I’m still working just as hard and producing the same results. Who cares what clothes I’m wearing?
I am a strong believer that working from home provides many benefits. I know some people prefer the office, and that’s fine for them, but working from home offers accessibility and flexibility that the office will never be able to. For example, I think that working from home could benefit women who experience period pains. While having cramps may not be enough for a sick day, the option to wear comfy clothes and sit at home with a hot water bottle would benefit many women at this time of the month.
Missing my family
It may not seem like a positive at first, but missing my family and friends so intensely over lockdown has made me realise how much I love and appreciate them. Spending time with loved ones is something I’ve probably always taken for granted a little bit, but now I know there’s nothing I would love more than to sit on my Nan’s sofa with a cup of tea and a biscuit.
And I know they feel the same. Whether it’s going for a walk together on a freezing cold day to comply with government guidelines, or volunteering to self-isolate before we meet, I know they’ve done those things just to spend time with me, and that means a lot.
It’s also made me think about how much I’d like to visit my friends who live further away. I’m lucky enough to have friends dotted all over the country and the world, and when things are back to normal, I’d love to carve out some time to visit them. To be able to hop on a train or a plane and go somewhere new is such a luxury, and I’ll appreciate it more than ever when I’m able to again.
Lockdown has been an unusual experience. Our lives have never been disrupted in such a huge, unavoidable way, but rather than feeling trapped, I’m trying to notice the good things that have come out of this year. I’ve learnt so much about myself, about what things I miss from the old world, and what things I’m okay with letting go. I want to continue living a more slowed-down lifestyle and prioritising self-care activities like reading and baths, and I want to keep finding time to invest in my small business. I’ve learnt that I really enjoy working from home, and that my friends and family bring so much light and joy into my life, and I’ll never take that for granted again.
Written by Hollie Alexa Moxham
Hollie is a designer, writer and illustrator based in Bristol. She works full-time as a designer for women’s magazines, but also runs a small Etsy store selling prints, cards and stationery and writes a blog celebrating, supporting and promoting creative small businesses.