One of the most heart-warming parts of the holidays is watching all the ways people bring magic to others, and how different families celebrate the season. Emily and her BFF Kristin share where they’re finding holiday magic this year: everything from leaving treats for delivery drivers, watching littles revel in magical moments big and small, giving experiences instead of more stuff, and the traditions that bring us closer to loved ones (even when they go hilariously awry!). So grab yourself a peppermint hot chocolate and a Christmas cookie, and get ready to rediscover the wonder of the season.
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Thought-Provoking Quotes
“It's not your job to create a perfect holiday for everybody. Your job right now and in every other season of the year is to love people, that's it.” – Emily Ley
“Holiday magic doesn’t just happen in the big things. It happens in the little things.” – Kristin Winchester
“As the kids get older, we're going to start focusing more on gifting them experiences rather than all the little things.” – Emily Ley
“You do the holidays the way that you want to do them. Focusing on what matters most to you and not what matters most to everybody else that you see on the internet, or everybody else in your neighborhood. It’s your lane, your rules.” – Emily Ley
“I love being able to put treats out for our delivery guys (because we see them all year long!) and being able to just love other people.” – Kristin Winchester
A Blessing for Your Week
May you find comfort and peace in this season, even throughout the frenzy.
May you find joy in celebrating with the people who love you enough to leave an extra cinnamon roll in the pan just for you.
And as you close out another year, may you find hope in the days ahead.
Simplicity Tip of the Week
If you're traveling this holiday season, go ahead and make a plan for how you're going to handle the gifts. Are you going to open some before you leave and then save the rest for Christmas Day? If you're having multiple celebrations, which gifts do you need to bring to each event? Then set expectations so everyone knows how gift giving is going to work. Everyone who needs to know anyway, all your littles maybe need to know is that Santa will still find them wherever they are on Christmas Eve. Your future self will thank you for making a plan now, and everyone else will be glad that a plan has been made, and expectations have been communicated. I bet your celebrations will feel a little more relaxed.
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