The Last Day Before Christmas Break

As we head into the last day of school before Christmas break, I’m reminding myself to breathe. To slow down. To let things go.

This season is beautiful, but it’s also loud, messy, overstimulating, and exhausting—especially as a mom. I find it hard some days to keep my girls entertained while I’m tending to Cyrus and juggling the never-ending list of things that need to be done. Laundry, dishes, meals, appointments, cleaning up messes that somehow appear out of nowhere… all while trying to soak in the magic of Christmas.

With Christmas just around the corner, I know I need to relax a little. And I’ll be honest—I can get angry sometimes. I try not to, but there are days when I’ve heard “mom” about 19 billion times while I’m in the middle of something, and it sends me right over the edge. Especially when the girls are fully capable of doing the thing they’re asking me to do for them.

Why? Why do you need me right this second when you can clearly see I’m busy?

And yes… I lose my patience sometimes.

But then I catch myself. I take a breath. I try to redirect instead of react.

“Hey, grab a stool and get a cup for water. I’ll fill it for you.”

And nine times out of ten, by the time they do that, I’ve finished what I needed to do anyway. It’s not perfect. I don’t always handle it gracefully. But I’m trying—and some days, trying is all we have to give.

Even with the whining and the constant “mom… mom… mom,” I’m choosing to lean into the season. I’m choosing to enjoy my kids and my family, even when it feels chaotic and loud and overwhelming. The excitement for Christmas is alive in our house, and we are counting down the days until the big guy in red comes.

This year feels extra special.

It’s Cyrus’s first Christmas… and my last first Christmas.

That thought alone makes my heart ache in the most bittersweet way. I know I’ll probably cry—okay, I will cry—because these moments are fleeting. Time moves too fast, and somehow our babies grow right before our eyes while we’re just trying to survive the day.

So this year, I’m choosing presence over perfection.

I’m going to take in every cup of cold coffee. Every laugh. Every tear. Every meltdown. Every snuggle. Every moment I still get to experience Christmas morning through my children’s eyes.

The mess can wait. The house doesn’t need to be perfect. And neither do I.

Because this season isn’t about having it all together—it’s about being together.

And that’s more than enough. 🎄❤️