We have made it to the final days of 2020 and that, in itself, is worth celebrating Ambitious Fam. I plan to write a longer reflection post about this chaotic year, but just know that 2020 went out swinging (more on that below). I do hope that you all have found a way to make this holiday season memorable and sprinkle moments of joy where you could. As we approach a new year, I would like to thank you all for visiting my corner of the internet. Thank you for every second you spend on this website, every comment, every message, and every shared story. Beyond grateful to have such an amazing community to help lift each other up. My Ambitious Fam is definitely a ray of sunshine on even the darkest of days. 

Here are my other reflections for the month of December:

One

My Vlogmas series ended abruptly when I got sick. It started off with allergy-like symptoms, fatigue, generally feeling bleh, and shortness of breath. The shortness of breath wasn’t too alarming (I’m asthmatic and it happens every time I am sick) but when I started experiencing chills, I knew that there was a possibility that there was a bigger, scarier issue. To be on the safe side, I scheduled a virtual doctor visit and went to get tested. On December 10th, I got the news that I tested positive for Covid-19. I was flooded with so many emotions. It felt so unfair that I was taking as many precautions as I could (while watching others live their lives) and yet, I was still infected. There was a good amount of embarrassment (How would I tell others!? What would they think?) and an overwhelming feeling of guilt (my friend shared this great poem with me about this subject that I think everyone should read). I felt guilty that I should have been doing more to stay safe–taken fewer walks, not going to the grocery store on an almost weekly basis, not return to part-time work, not live in an apartment building that required me to come in contact with others (many unmasked) just to get fresh air. The sad truth was that though I spent the vast majority of my time at home and skipped gatherings, I still contracted the virus. I was scared–I’m still scared–but I’m also grateful that my experience has not (yet) taken a turn for the worst. I am also grateful for my family and friends who went out of their way to make sure that I got what I needed (food and medicine drop-offs) and for lending emotional support.

Amber Burns recently posted this video on her channel and it was like deja vu. Our experience was so similar (except I haven’t completely regained my sense of smell). Like my close friends and family, she said that people were shocked when she contracted the virus because of all of the measures she took as well. I loved the way that she explained that she doesn’t regret taking any of the precautions that she did because her precautions weren’t really meant to protect herself–they were to reduce spread in her community. We’ve all had to make incredibly hard decisions this year in light of the pandemic. Please remember that your choices to stay safe are not in vain. You can watch Amber’s full video here.

Two

In an effort to keep holiday cheer high for a solo Christmas, I decided to celebrate Christmas Eve with an interactive Ambitious Christmas Movie Marathon! I compiled a list of holiday movies across a few streaming platforms (Netflix, Hulu, Prime, and Disney+), many of which I’ve never seen before, that I thought would be interesting for me to watch. I started the marathon by watching This Christmas, then allowed my Ambitious Fam on Instagram to choose the next 5 rounds of movies (each round contained 3-4 movies to vote on) which led up to the finale of the night: A Christmas Story. It was so fun to see which movies won each round! The closest race was in round 3 (2019 Netflix Faves) which included the Knight Before Christmas, The Holiday Calendar, Holiday in the Wild (winner with 28% of the vote), and Christmas Inheritance. On the other hand, Home Alone swept the Disney+ round with 64% of the votes. One of my friends even decided to complete the marathon as well! All in all, it was such a nice way to feel connected to others throughout the day. 

Three

While my vice this month was definitely Frosted Flakes (I went through 5 boxes in the second half of the month alone—it was weirdly the only thing that I wanted to eat while sick), I also enjoyed my share of eggnog this month and tried a few yummy recipes along the way! One of my favorites this month was this Eggnog French Toast recipe that I reduced and modified from Fresh Coast Eats (I used a thick brioche bread instead of Texas toast). It was so good that I even made it on Christmas morning! I also made a few eggnog lattes (see how to make it in this 30-sec video) as well as some eggnog muffins using this recipe from Mother Thyme. 

This month I completed 4 out of 6 of the items on my December Bucket List. I may have missed out on Drive-Thru Lights due to Covid, but I’m still thankful that I was able to dabble in moments of holiday joy this month.   

Stay tuned for my January Bucket List!