Merry and Bright

The Christmas season has come and gone.
And like every year so far,
there are certain moments,
certain memories that stand out
from all the rest
This year, what I will remember most of all,
is the ways in which each girl embodied
the true spirit of the holiday.

This is the year where Lexi sought out
ways to spread Christmas joy and cheer.
This was the year where she discovered that
the real magic of Harry, our elf, lies not in him,
but within us.
This was the year where she took the reigns....
moving the elf for her little sister's benefit.
And she didn't simply move the elf each night before bed,
she thought up creative hiding spots, creative activities
for him to do, creative "gifts" for him to leave behind.
Lexi, on her own, helped spread Christmas magic.

And it wasn't simply with the elf on the shelf.
At 11 years old, she went to Home Depot,
got a piece of wood cut into a square shape,
drilled a screw through it
to anchor a small Christmas tree on,
decorated that tree with ornaments she collected,
dressed it in a tree skirt,
strung lights from it,
and gave us the sweetest surprise when we
stepped into our master bedroom to our very
own Charlie Brown tree.

Lexi also hand crafted gifts for many members of the family...
an illustrated booklet for Grandpa Mike outlining the things
she loves about him and the ways she enjoys spending time with him,
a snow globe for Grandpa Tom with seashells she collected at his beach
this past summer.
She pooled her money to get Vic the new oven mitt she knew
he needed and me the new Anthropologie candle she knew I wanted.
In ways big and small,
Lexi embodied the true spirit of the holiday.

This was also the year where Ryleigh burst with 

Christmas excitement. 

Where the events and activities 

filled her with an infectious joy. 

I want to look back and remember the enthusiasm 

for creating her Christmas list then revising it, 

more than once, before finally sharing it with Santa,

and her race each morning as soon as she awoke to find Harry 

and ensure he had returned safely to our home.

I want to recall her pride in making Bailey 

a home-made Christmas collar,

and her insistence on being the one 

to put the star on top of the (now artificial) tree.

I want to close my eyes and see her happiness 

taking in all the Christmas lights 

that shone so brightly throughout our neighed. 

I want to remember her love for snuggling together 

and reading an advent storybook each night before bed.

I never want to forget how her little hands poured Santa's milk

and prepared his chocolate chip cookies and the reindeer carrots,

then placed it all right on the fireplace hearth before bed. 

In so many ways, Ryleigh reminded us of just how magical 

this season is when seen through the eyes of a child. 

This was the year where the girls
developed a love for Hallmark Christmas movies.
In fact, both Lexi and I even attended parties that were
filled with Hallmark movies, bingo relating to these movies
and pjs/holiday socks.
They were totally cheesy yet fabulous in their own right
and will hopefully be a tradition that carries
over from year to year.

This was also a year where we carried on old traditions,
like decorating gingerbread houses,
and baking Nanny's sugar cookies,
and cooking cinnamon raisin bread.
Where we attended the Home for the Holidays Event
in Townsquare and the White's Chapel Christmas Festival.
It was the year where we again took in the beautiful sounds
of the Fort Worth Symphony (Grandpa Tom's first symphony experience, in fact!)
and where we witnessed the beauty
of the Christmas Eve candlelight church service.
It was another year filled with fun dinner club parties
and neighborhood parties.
A year filled with holiday events with our classmates
and Christmas caroling with our sweet friends.

It was a year where we raced to the mailbox each day to see which
family and friends would be greeting us,
where we checked our favorite holiday movies off our viewing list,
where we played the Christmas radio station incessantly in the car
and on our Alexa.
It was the year where we celebrated Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
with Grandpa Tom, then welcomed Nanny the very next day.
It was another year filled with special moments,
both big and small, that I hope I will always remember.
It was another year where we were reminded
that sharing and spreading holiday magic is truly the best gift of all
(though the new hoverboard was certainly also appreciated ;)