Finding Holiday Comforts in the Stillness

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The three of us, my mom, Donnie, and I, pulled on winter coats and slid into my mom’s car, driving around neighborhoods sparkling with elaborate light displays.

Protected from the Michigan weather by a car heater and my mom’s favorite Anne Murray Christmas cassette, we could chat, debate the merits of multi-colored versus all-white lights, or ride in silence, hundreds of tiny lights breaking the early darkness of winter nights.

At home, our Christmas tree lights reflected off the gold garland always strung in looping circles around the trees we chose as a family, early in the day to accommodate my dad’s afternoon work shift.  I curled on the couch, legs under me and a book on my lap, reading by the lowest possible light to maximize the magic of the hundreds of colored lights.

More than a small Whitman’s sampler tucked into my stocking or my beloved Brother typewriter or the triangular bottle of 273 Rodeo Drive by Fred Hayman perfume I desperately wanted, the moments I return to when planning ways to create memorable holidays for our kids are the ones removed from the gift giving. 

Car rides along Jefferson Avenue to watch the stillness of Christmas lights reflecting on the water, late nights sitting near a lit tree, and Christmas day spent curled up with a new book, pajamas worn long past morning, all conjure the peace and comfort that make the holidays my favorite time of year.

browsing her favorite doll catalog

Toy catalogs are peppering our mailbox, and we’ve already spoken at length about the various decorated trees in Lord & Taylor; soon the holiday season will be in full swing.  With two young children, there’s not a great way to escape the insanity of toy store shopping or visiting Santa at the mall, and truthfully, that hectic energy is its own sort of holiday magic.

Yet, the moments I look forward to the most are the still ones.  Abbey and Dylan easing into new Christmas jammies after celebrating Christmas Eve at my parents’ house.   Seeing our stockings hanging along the mantle.  The blissful moment Ryan and I can finally sink into bed after spending too much time doing Santa’s grunt work with a few tools and too many parts making up a dollhouse.

For Abbey’s sake, this January and February I forgave the people who left their holiday lights up far too long, because we could still drive past and marvel at the sparkling colors, the kids snuggled into cozy car seats, adults enjoying the warmth of heated seats and holiday music on the radio.

Shopping lists and wrapping gifts and snowflake crafts are already bouncing around in my head, and I relish creating holiday magic for my family.  But the moments of stillness and joy are the memories I cherish; long after our ornaments have been packed into their boxes, I carry those moments of holiday comfort with me into the unknown adventures of the New Year.

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I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective.