Note from Nicole ~ Perfectly Imperfect

By Nicole Donnelly

Raise your hand if you're feeling a bit overwhelmed? Maybe our calendars aren't as full as they normally would be this time of year, but still these weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year's tend to be NUTS! And let's not even mention the long list of things we do to make the holidays magical for our families.

But, we're parents - and we want to see holiday magic light up our kids' eyes! I have neighbors with the most elaborate Christmas lights displays, and countless friends who do creative things with their Elf on a Shelf every night. Not to mention the secret shopping trips and sneaky messages with friends about what gift would really surprise someone, hunting for just the right tree, endless feasts of amazing food for Hanukkah, Advent calendars and candles to remember, movies you just have to watch, wrapping gifts, decorating cookies and gingerbread houses, mailing Christmas cards, and so on and so on until January.

Whatever magic you're working on right now, I both applaud your efforts (because you're a rock star) and urge you to set aside some time to just BE. Our weekends can get filled to the gills with great things, and while they're fun and festive, what really stands out in my memory when I think about being a kid during the holidays is simply time spent at home with my family.

• Sitting around the tree with just the Christmas lights lighting the room, listening to Christmas music

• Making wish lists with my sister as we flipped through the toy catalogs

• Coloring the inevitable dollar store Santa coloring book my grandmother would send us

• Watching our favorite Christmas movies, with a plate of sugar cookies and my dad's annual Hillshire Farms boxed snack set

I'm sure my parents did all the same STUFF that we do. But I'm convinced the magic comes from those quiet moments under twinkling lights. I wish you heaps of it all December long!

xoxo,

Nicole

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