Christmas Wishes

I admit it.

I’m one of those people who wants Christmas to be perfect. I actually used to have a special Christmas planner to help me achieve the goal of a “perfect” holiday. From decorations (of course those included crafts that I made myself) to candy for family and friends (again, homemade) to recipes, to gift lists…my planner had it all.

And every year, I felt let down. Something went wrong. I ran out of time. It seemed like a disaster.

I finally pitched the Christmas planner.

I still have goals, but these days I strive to make those more achievable. If I don’t bake Christmas cookies this year, I’ll survive. If that delicious recipe I found for fudge doesn’t get made next week, I’ll make it later. If the wreath never gets decorated and hung on the front door (let’s face it…it’s not looking like that’s gonna happen) it will be okay.

I’ve come to realize something–having a perfect Christmas has nothing to do with whether the cookies I serve are homemade or from a box. It has nothing to do with whether my trees are all color coordinated with red and silver right down to the wrapping paper on the gifts. It has nothing to do with how clean my house is or how creatively our Elf on the Shelf is hidden.

This year, Christmas is about the joy of the moment. Really. That’s what I’m focused on. Making sure the person I’m talking to knows I care about them–not that I’m distracted by one of the million things on my to do list.

Last week my husband and I went Christmas shopping together. I normally hate the mall at Christmas.  But you know what? It was a great day. We walked through the mall and talked about our Christmas list and found things we thought each person would like. We didn’t hurry or rush or get upset when we had to park far away. We enjoyed the moment.

My stepdaughter and I made some Christmas crafts together a couple of weeks ago. They weren’t perfect. We both deemed them Pinterest fails. (her words… “Pinterest lies! They lie and must use Photoshop.”) But we had fun. We enjoyed the moment. And we proudly hung those ornaments on the tree even though they didn’t look a thing like the photos.

So as we all head into the next week, I wish for each of you to find the joy in the moments that will become wonderful memories of Christmas 2014.

Merry Christmas! (Oh–and one more thing! Love Finds You at Home for Christmas is on SALE in all e-book formats for 99 cents through next week! Check it out if you enjoy sweet Christmas stories!)

Annalisa Daughety (52 Posts)

Annalisa Daughety writes contemporary fiction set in historic locations, including the Walk in the Park series, Love Finds You in Charm, Ohio, and A Wedding to Remember in Charleston, South Carolina. She lives in Arkansas and is hard at work on her next book.