Christmas Magic

Christmas can be overstimulating AF. Let's be real. Your house is all out of sorts. Your kids are a little (or a lot) crazy. You get SO.MUCH.STUFF. (Which I admittedly did to myself this year- here's a reminder next year to scale way back on the presents! But I digress).

I often have to remind myself that these years are so fleeting, and that one day I'll be longing for a time when I couldn't wait to get all the toys out of my living room to their home in the basement. So while it might have been hard to see the magic of Christmas in the moment, I'm reliving the past few weeks and finding those precious little nuggets where the magic lived this holiday season.

First up, my favorite magical moment with Brayden. He is such a lover with the biggest heart. We did a gift exchange between the kids, and even though he didn't get Ashley's name, he wanted to buy her a present anyway. And I couldn't say no to that. He did draw Katie's name, and spent a good deal of time picking the perfect gift for her, which was this little rainbow haired stuffed puppy. Now the really magical part (for me at least), was when Ashley and Katie opened his present. Brady sat up on his knees right next to them, his eyes filled with anticipation, joy, excitement. His sweet, "do you love it?" after they opened it. If I could have bottled up those moments to play back forever I definitely would have. And as a side bar, Katie LOVES the puppy. It made it to her bed, which is a big feat for a stuffed animal.

Ashley's magical moment has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas. We've been struggling with her (and all the kids honestly) about fairness and others getting to do things when they can't. Eric decided to take all the kids to see Moana 2 in theaters after Christmas. They were so excited to get popcorn and a drink at the theater. Well as they were pulling out out of the driveway, Ashley threw up in the van. She was, of course, very sad that she wasn't going to get to go to the movie. But I was so proud of how she acted when they got home. Ashley was genuinely happy that Brayden and Katie got to go to the movies and asked them how it was. I know she was still sad she didn't get to go, but she tried really hard to not let that steal their thunder. 

My favorite magical moment with Katie doesn't have to do with Christmas day, but the excitement leading up to Christmas, especially when we looked at Christmas lights. It never failed, well except for the time I had my phone out to film her saying it ha!, that as soon as she saw Christmas lights, no matter how small or how extravagant, she would exclaim, "That's so beautiful, I love it!" Her joy in such simple things as Christmas lights has helped me remember to take joy in all the little moments, too.

And Allison, nothing beats the magic of a child's first Christmas. As I cuddled her in the warmth of our home, on our comfy couch with our decorated tree behind us, I couldn't help but think of Mary holding baby Jesus close to her. She wasn't as warm. She wasn't as comfortable. She wasn't surrounded by decorations. But oh how full her heart must have felt. How magical it must have been to know you were chosen to be Jesus' mother.

It's easy to feel worn down. To feel empty. Stressed. Not good enough. I can only pray that Jesus fills my heart up on my hardest days, with that sweet and simple fullness that Mary must have felt all those years ago. And reminds me that even the smallest moments can be full of magic.