Pressing Pause: My ‘NoSo November’

One thing about me is that I will find something to hyperfixate on. It could be a hobby, a health kick, an aesthetic—you name it. Well, I am at it again. There was a time when I had full intention of keeping up this blog. I did, after all, manage to maintain a blog (or travel journal, as I referred to it before the word “blog” became more popularly used) back when I was living abroad and traveling around Europe, along with a few Asian countries. Smartphones weren’t a thing back then. Facebook didn’t exist yet. My journal was a great way to keep family and friends up to date on where I was. It was wonderful.

Thirteen years ago, I did it again. I tracked relevant details of my pregnancies, and when finished, I had my pregnancy blog printed into a personal book. I love looking through those memories. Jump to the present day, and my whole world is busy, chaotic, and my brain is in a constant scramble of parenting, homeschooling, trying this whole online shop thing, and keeping up with social media.

UGH, social media. My gosh, I love you but also absolutely despise you. I love sharing stories, photos, and memories. I love that I have met so many new friends thanks to it (both online and in person), and I love the connection it brings. However, it becomes so messy and loud—a daunting beast at times. Which brings me to where I am today. This might become a regular ranting of daily musings. This might be the only post I make for a year. No telling with me these days, my friends. As my sister would tell her kids, “You get what you get, and you don’t throw a fit.”

For several weeks—most of October, really—I’d planned on taking a bit of a social media sabbatical. I’ve seen this referred to as “NoSo November” (no social media). It’s brilliant (for some, of course). November is the perfect month for me to press RESET.

How so? Well, anyone who knows me, online or otherwise, knows that I live for Autumn. I live in Texas at the moment, where summer temps overstay their welcome from around April until October. It’s disgusting, really. I begin heavily craving Autumn earlier and earlier each year. This past year, it resurfaced in May. MAY!!!! I didn’t even make it to July 4th. Once September hits (or as someone once said, “what the black wide-brimmed hat-wearing wannabe witches visiting Salem like to call the ‘Ber Months”—thanks for calling us out, sir), it’s game on. All the fall décor and Halloween goodies are out. It’s my most favorite time of the year, and it is my entire personality. Sisterhood doesn’t even scratch the surface during this time over on Instagram. It’s pure magic. We are paying no mind to anyone or anything referring to Winter or Christmas (mind you, content creators contractually obligated to begin holiday content—you’re excused).

Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas. Actual Christmas. I love the classic music, traditional holiday décor, cocoa, cider, twinkling lights, cold weather, fuzzy socks, gift-giving—all of it. Still, I must admit, I get overwhelmed QUICKLY toward the end of both Halloween and Christmas. We have this buildup of excitement and emotions; then, a couple of weeks before the big day arrives, something in me wants SO BADLY to pack it all up, put it away, and deep clean my house. I don’t do well with clutter. I leave it all up for my kids, but inside, I’m dying to remove the clutter. That sums up October and December—but what about November? Does Thanksgiving stress me out? Nope.

Americans sometimes forget Thanksgiving is an American holiday, for the most part. I’m talking about the whole pilgrims, Mayflower, horn of plenty thing. Honestly, I have my opinions about it all. To package it up nicely, I will simply say this: I am grateful every day, and I express gratitude every day. I acknowledge Thanksgiving is not a joyful story for everyone. Lastly—and this sometimes comes as a surprise to people—you actually CAN have traditional Thanksgiving foods any day of the year. Wild, I know.

So, Thanksgiving just isn’t a thing for my little family. Sure, I cook all the foods we love, we have the Thanksgiving Day parades on TV while I cook and the kids enjoy playing, Christmas music plays throughout the house—but years ago, we decided to strip ourselves of any forced obligations. Done. Easy. We haven’t regretted the decision even once. I can’t begin to tell you the weight that immediately lifts from your shoulders once that is removed from the holiday season to-do list. It’s huge.

So here we are in November. I am free from having to travel, family obligations, hosting, or feeling like I must eat foods I typically do not eat just so I don’t hurt someone’s feelings. No Thanksgiving worries. “What about planning for Christmas? Shopping? Black Friday?” To that, I say, no thank you. I will wait until December to worry about December. We don’t overdo it for Christmas. I am super intentional with gift-giving. My goal is not to fill the entire room with gifts and then snap a photo to share online. I’m not overbooking my calendar. We will spend time with family, but Christmas morning is always just us four. We drive around to see lights. We bake. We exchange gifts. We might join in on a holiday party or two. I know I do enough. Period.

Where was I? Oh yes, NoSo November. So, Halloween is over—packed up and in the attic. I am not inviting Christmas into my house until December (St. Nicholas Day, to be exact). The last thing I am creating space for is the push for overconsumption that is plastered all over the internet. So, November is the perfect time for me to pause.

On November 1st, I happily scrolled through my Instagram friends’ posts of Halloween. I was in heaven. So many fun memories shared. I adore seeing kids and teens trick-or-treating. I love seeing all of the homes decorated. I posted my intentions to take a break on Instagram just to share that I will be back, but that the shop remains open. I let people know how they can reach me if they would like to. Then, I deactivated all of my Instagram accounts. That’s all. No drama. No vague-posting to leave people hanging. Just a time without obligations, to slow down and not be bombarded with ads or allow FOMO to creep in too early.

I want to enjoy December. I want to wrap myself up in all of the holiday joy. I don’t want to begin too soon and then hear that voice in my head two weeks before Christmas whispering, “Don’t you feel cluttered? Wouldn’t it be nice to put it all away and clean up?” Not having it.

I have a full list on my phone of tasks to keep me busy, as well as movies, playlists, crafts, and recipes to keep me inspired through November. I’m only on Day 5, and already my screen time is down, my reading time is up, my mood has been lifted, and I feel more present. It’s refreshing. So, I may or may not share some of that here along the way for me. Sure, you are welcome to follow along, but I am not doing this for others. I’m not doing it for likes, comments, shares, or saves. I mean, who really reads blogs anymore anyway? From what I have learned through Instagram’s insights, we are at the point where the average person’s attention span is just 3 seconds before they scroll on by. Super sad we’ve found ourselves here. So, if you have made it this far, hold your head high, and I thank you for sticking around.

Big hugs,

Jen