Good morning! We’ve made it to the date circled on my calendar as the official start of Christmas. We’ll get to visit with David’s parents today, then my family will roll in mid-afternoon. Somehow I feel ready!

Presents are wrapped, food is prepped (all the meals I’m making are here), rolls for tonight’s dinner are rising, lasagnas have been transferred to the fridge to thaw, and the house is clean (thanks to the help of my cleaning duo that I’m so, so appreciative of). However, I’m ready for the counters to get cluttered, for blankets to be thrown everywhere, for muddy footprints to cover the floors, for shouts of laughter and chaos, and for all the other signs that of proof that our family is together and that the kids are making memories. The best.

Before I sign off for the break though, I wanted to thank you.

Thank you.

It’s not lost on me that after almost 12 (almost 13) years of writing this blog that you still choose to spend some of your precious time checking in on me and my family. Your time is valuable and so many things are vying for your attention both on and offline, so I’m humbled with gratitude for your friendship and your support. I’m grateful for your comments, emails, silent visits, and DMs of comradery, advice, feedback, and love. Thank you for seeing me through my ups and my downs and our family’s journey through life.

I’m looking forward to an exciting 2023 and can not wait to share it with you. But for now, I’m wishing a holiday season full of joy, laughter, and contentment. I know holidays can be hard in certain seasons of life, and if you are walking through one of those, I hope the small moments of peace and magic jump out at you so you can savor them. And if you’re in a season of plenty and overwhelming love, I’m so happy for you. May you soak in all the beauty of these moments.

Thank you for being here and thank you for loving on us. Merry Christmas! Love, The Dixons