Creating Seasonal Vibes & Calmer Home Rhythms

Seasonal Vibes At Home & Why We Ditched the TV

If you’ve been here at all this year, you’ll know that I’ve been getting more into seasonal decor. I’m really feeling the pull to create different seasonal vibes in the house. I am decorating and changing out what decor I have on display every couple of months. Who am I?

Leaning Into Seasonal Vibes at Home

I’ve been paying more attention to the seasonal vibes in our home and how each shift in décor changes the energy in the space. One significant change I’ve made is using candles almost every night at dinner time. I want to create some ambiance with less LED/fluorescent lighting, which is really bad for you, and to get back on that circadian rhythm. I’m very excited to say that it’s been working for us. The boys don’t even try to constantly blow out the candles and leave us sitting in the dark. It is much easier now that it’s dark by 5pm, so we have a little more warm glow-vibes.

Our TV Died—And It Changed Everything

In keeping with the trend toward less LED lighting, our TV completely died a couple of weeks ago. We have been a minimal screens family for almost a month! The kids have not been watching any TV; minimal tablet time (which I have allowed when we’re, like, at the hockey rink or a little bit to decompress after a long week). They get some screen time when they go over to play at a friend’s house (video games), but they get addicted, and they don’t really want to be at home, so that’s been pulled back.

Not having a TV has been eye-opening. It’s that annoying thing that you know works, but not giving it up makes life seem easier. But when you actually see it, you are forced to make that change, and it ACTUALLY works; it just irks the soul. Life really is simple, and we love to complicate it.

What the Kids Started Doing Instead of Screens

The biggest difference? The boys play more! They’re more creative, they’re sitting down and choosing to read a book. I’ll find them on a sofa or in their bed, quietly reading. They’re drawing so much more; Kaiden’s creating his own little comic books and his own stories. They play with each other nicer, I mean, they do have their moments – they are boys. They are jumping on each other and jumping off my furniture, but we’re also trying to redirect that energy more productively. It’s still nice enough outside that we can kick them outside and tell them to go on their bikes, so it’s a good balance right now.

Reconsidering Screens: Our New Family Plan

I don’t want to go back to having a TV, although I do miss having movie nights. But I’ve been waxing nostalgic about how we grew up. The TV was just TV – commercials, not endlessly streaming and binging full seasons. We didn’t have access to a million movies, which causes overwhelm. You had to pick a movie you wanted, and that everyone was ok with watching. I do not want our TV to be connected to anything: no Netflix, no Disney, no streaming service. I realize that in this day and age, that’s super hard to come by.

I’ve been considering getting a DVD player (or a PlayStation) and borrowing movies from my dad, who has a whole catalogue of DVDs. Something special again, something we do as a family, rather than my kids turning on the TV and it blaring constantly. It makes for a calmer household, and I’m really enjoying this new direction that we’re going in. We are in the process of getting the TV fixed, but the techs are taking longer than expected. We can turn it on (sometimes) and watch Netflix.

Getting Ahead on Seasonal Vibes

We already put our tree up (Andrew bought a new one and set it up the same day) and I’ve started sprinkling decorations around the house. I held off until after Remembrance Day to go full Christmas mode,but leaning into those early seasonal vibes has felt surprisingly good. Doing all of this while it’s still November? Honestly, who even are we?

With Andrew up north for his guys’ trip this weekend, I’m taking charge of the tree and getting it fully decorated. Having a pre-lit one feels like such a luxury, no fussing with tangled lights.

We usually travel this time of year, so the holidays tend to feel like a race I’m sprinting through. This is the first season in a while where I’m actually enjoying the slower pace and getting ahead on the cozy things.

Checking Off The List

Now it’s just a matter of finishing the decorating, putting together a plan for our Christmas party, and sorting out a few last-minute gifts. I want the boys to write their letters to Santa soon, and once that’s done, I think we’ll officially be ready for the season. How exciting is that?

Are you ready for the holidays?

J x