Making Magic: Happy Holidays & Merry Christmas

I was just talking to a friend about Christmas. When she asked if I was excited about the holidays, I grumbled a little. "The thing is, now that I'm a mom, instead of receiving magic, I have to make the magic," I said.

It's my job to pick meaningful gifts for everyone including my six year old. And I'm still like Santa's personal assistant. Like when is that man gonna come down the chimney already???

There's the decorating, baking and the race to get deals in the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Don't get me wrong, I love doing nice things for my family. And seeing my kiddo light up is the highlight of the holiday, but I could do with a little less "stuff-ness" in Christmas.

And this friend I was speaking to, has hard holidays because of grief that comes around every December. I have some of that too.

But I will push aside my first world gripes and think of all the things I'm grateful for. We try to make donations during this season too. But I feel a little guilty that I have all I need and not everyone does. My New Year's resolution is to volunteer and try to help the community in new ways.

We just got a surprise from our neighbors. They left a gift on our doorstep. I was moved that despite having a brand new baby and big family and probably dealing with more chaos than I am, they thought to surprise us with a gift.

So, this holiday I wish everyone peace and good cheer. Even though a part of me is kind of dreaming of sleeping through it all and waking up on the 26th:)

P.S. Kiddo and I just finished a baking spree. If you need a hostess gift, try these awesome Split Second Jam Cookies

Photo courtesy Taste of Home

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