Christmas magic, as it’s called, always felt like something people chased rather than what I felt like was, in my mind, the true and original meaning of Christmas. I saw even devout Christians getting more excited about lights, trees, and gifts than the immeasurable gift that was the perfect lamb of God sent to earth…
Summertime has so much nostalgia associated with it. I want to say that it’s because everything was a little slower, there was less pressure, and the opportunities to go and do fun things were endless. It doesn’t take much to make meaningful memories when it’s full of vacations and big-over-the-top excursions. But how can we…
How we celebrate Christmas became an important discussion my husband when our daughter was born. The Santa question was one we had to discuss, along with other issues that are common in today’s society. We choose to not get wrapped up in materialism – this means Christmas without Santa, Elf on a Shelf, or truck loads of…
Whether it’s a holiday celebration or just the clanking of forks from a meal shared together, there are always lively discussions when a large group of people break bread with one another. Arguments arise as our emotions take charge. But maybe there’s a better way. Maybe learning to take even just one step back to…
Several years ago I also heard about the 4 gift giving rule. You know “Something you want, something you need, something you’ll wear, something you’ll read.” It’s cute. But it always missed the mark for me. I would come up with ideas that were good, but didn’t fit the mold and personally, I desire the…
The Sunday before Halloween my husband asked me to coordinate trick-or-treating with a friend to which I replied “If it was up to me, we wouldn’t go. I don’t want all that candy.” I know. Some of you are in sheer horror and others are standing in solidarity nodding their heads thinking “next year, we’ll do…
The pings of popcorn popping in a covered cast iron skillet rang through the room as we gathered blankets, bundled ourselves in cozy winter pajamas, and picked out movies. You see, for the first time ever, we didn’t live near family and didn’t have plans to go anywhere for Christmas or New Year’s Eve celebrations. And…
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MyTuesdayValentine #CollectiveBias Nestled in a small wooden box that sits on a dusty bedroom shelf are little cut up pieces of paper detailing all the things my husband loves about me. …how perfectly we fit together when we…
My mom hated Monopoly. It was a game that in her mind we asked to play too much and took too much time to play. So one day she declared that Monopoly could not be played in our house except for on New Year’s Day. And thus began the tradition that as kids we would…
Decking the halls for the holidays has become extra-special as the kids get older. They can now carefully unwrap ornaments, stir large vats of steamy hot chocolate, and assemble their own decorations to be hung. They’ve created large piles of paper candy-canes and we’re starting to run out of glitter. In the midst of all…
I remember my oldest’s first Christmas and thinking about all the things our family could do to make the time more meaningful. And I started dreaming those nostalgic and magical dreams of creating our own family traditions that the kids would remember and love. It led me to search for ways to instill family time,…
My mom always bought our birthday and Christmas gifts long before we ever had a chance to even create a list. As an adult, it now makes sense why she shopped the way she did, but even with the best of intentions, I am not perfect. However, I have found ways to spend a little…