Any time I tell a story about something in the past, I basically can keep track of if it happened before or after March 2020. Anything other than that level of detail feels impossible. So much has happened in the world, and in my own little corner of it, that trying to remember 2018 versus 2019 is about as likely as remembering my fourth or fifth birthday party. For what it’s worth, the only birthday I remember from my littlest years is my third birthday and that is just about the picnic table in the backyard of our new house.

I’m not completely sure if that timeline struggle is a blessing or a curse. I feel like there are pieces that have been lost into the 2 year-ish storm we survived (are surviving?). At the same time, there is a lot less pressure to figure out all those details anyways. I have laughed with many friends and students about some event being “pre-COVID” and having no idea of the details other than that. It also means a lot less pressure being exactly right on the timeline for moving forward. For example, I was absolutely busting out the eggnog to add to my morning chai in mid-October. And I was wearing socks with Christmas lights on them (no, not blinking) on November 1. Once I was a firm believer that Christmas celebrations began after Thanksgiving. But that was pre-COVID.

For this almost post-COVID time, I’m leaning into whatever parts of this holiday season bring joy. So far that has meant eggnog, fun socks, and playing Reliant K Christmas music in class last week (#SorryNotSorry). I shared with a friend that I was embracing the parts that work for me. With parts of the world metaphorically on fire and other parts literally on fire, what’s a little HoHoHo in October?

Besides, I won’t remember when I watched Rudolph anyways. But I will be holding onto the wisdom that “Bumbles Bounce.”