The earliest my little daughter ever woke up on Christmas morning was 2:30am which led to a bleary eyed day that had us all falling nodding off in the dining room around noon time. She also used to hide notes in her bedroom for the Christmas elf so he would write back to her. I can still see my husband and I with flashlights looking under this and that while she slept, desperate to find the hidden treasure so we could pose as the elf and make sure her heart wasn’t broken in the morning. Now she’s old enough and I know she doesn’t believe but she doesn’t seem to want to tell ME that.

Around Thanksgiving I said to my older daughter, “Can’t I just put gifts under the tree wrapped as I get them so I don’t have to hide them somewhere?” Her eyes widened with horror, “WHAT? No we have to have the big reveal on Christmas morning!” Seriously? She’s 20. So when my younger daughter came to St. Nick’s, a tradition in our house to put your shoe outside your bedroom door for treats in the morning, I reminded her about her shoe and she forgot to put it out. So while she was at school, I grabbed a boot, filled it up and put it by her door.  She came home and raced upstairs after I told her I had bailed her out and I had put her shoe out, she must have missed it. She came down with all of her treasures and said, “Silly elf” and I said, “silly elf”. Sigh. I guess she isn’t ready to let go of what brings her joy this Christmas. I figure I’ll let her take the lead on this one and enjoy something that gives us a moment of connection during a time in her life when she’s trying so desperately at times to pull away. So I’ll play along one more Christmas and unwrap some joy for both of us.

The earliest my little daughter ever woke up on Christmas morning was 2:30am which led to a bleary eyed day that had us all nodding off in the dining room around noon time. She also used to hide notes in her bedroom for the Christmas elf so he would write back to her. I can still see my husband and I with flashlights looking under this and that while she slept, desperate to find the hidden treasure so we could pose as the elf and make sure her heart wasn’t broken in the morning. Now she’s old enough and I know she doesn’t believe but she doesn’t seem to want to tell ME that.

Around Thanksgiving I said to my older daughter, “Can’t I just put gifts under the tree wrapped as I get them so I don’t have to hide them somewhere?” Her eyes widened with horror, “WHAT? No we have to have the big reveal on Christmas morning!” Seriously? She’s 20. So when my younger daughter came to St. Nick’s, a tradition in our house to put your shoe outside your bedroom door for treats in the morning, I reminded her about her shoe the night before but she forgot to put it out. So while she was at school, I grabbed a boot, filled it up and put it by her door.  She came home and raced upstairs, after I told her I had bailed her out and I had put her shoe out, she must have missed it. She came down with all of her treasures and said, “Silly elf” and I said, “Silly elf”. Sigh. I guess she isn’t ready to let go of what brings her joy this Christmas. I figure I’ll let her take the lead on this one and enjoy something that gives us a moment of connection during a time in her life when she’s trying so desperately at times to pull away. So I’ll play along one more Christmas and unwrap some joy for both of us.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!  I can hear the song playing in my head as I type.  The holidays are filled with celebrations, gift giving and cheer.  However, they are also filled with to-do lists, to-buy lists and to-wrap lists!  If you are anything like me, this can get overwhelming, and frankly, sometimes it sucks the joy right out of the holidays.

Which is why this is the perfect time of the year to flex our joy muscles and look for positive aspects in life.  We can use all of our senses. Everywhere we look there are beautiful lights and decorations to see, there's festive music to hear, delicious treats to taste and smell, and gifts to hold and touch.  And, of course, the most important gift of all is the time we spend with each other!

Give the gift of your presence this holiday season.  Watch how it infuses an upward spiral of joy into your life and the life of your loved ones.