One of my favorite routines at the end of a long, hard day is watching a good show right before bedtime. I’ve worked hard all day, played with the kids, had dinner with the family and after all that…sometimes it’s nice to just zone out to a good show. For me it feels like a little reward to kind of push pause and chill before rolling right into tomorrow. Abbi loves watching a good show too and we have certain ones that we follow. That being said, we started a family tradition to fast TV for about a month before Christmas.

I gotta be honest, I was not super wild about the idea when we first came up with it. I love my little routine of watching a show before bed and was in no hurry to give that up. I have to say though, it’s been a tremendous blessing. Not watching TV in the evenings has paid off  in a number of ways.

1. It has forced us to be creative with how we spend our time.

We’ve talked more. We’ve played more. We’ve been more productive. We….well you know (-;

2. It has decreased the hustle and bustle that goes hand in hand with this season.

Not watching TV at night has created some much needed white space to where we’re not always being distracted. I love social media and I enjoy living a relatively fast-paced life but everyone needs a break. By not watching TV at night we have had more time to just chill and actually unplug from our busy lives.

3. I’ve gotten more sleep.

By not watching TV I’ve realized that I’m way more tired in the evenings than I knew. Instead of zoning out to a show, there have been nights when I’ve just gotten some much needed sleep which has then added to my productivity the following day.

4. It helps me remember what this season is all about.

The other night we went for a walk as a family to see the Christmas lights in the neighborhood and I was reminded of why I absolutely love this time of year.

I could probably go on with this list but you get the idea. What are some ways that you can unplug as we get closer to Christmas? Have you ever tried turning off the TV and getting creative with how you spend your time at night? It’s hard to demand that this season be any less hectic than it already is but we can take some proactive steps to chill out and appreciate the essence of Christmas.