Believe in the Season

How was your Thanksgiving? Mine was a well-spent holiday weekend surrounded by family and friends! My brother and cousin were both home from college, which was a treat to spend time with them.

As December sneaks up on us this week – wow where did 2021 go? – I wanted to dive in on experiencing the holiday season as an adult and how to keep the holiday spirit alive. For those who celebrate Christmas, did your magic dim a bit after learning Santa wasn’t real? I recall my suspicions starting around 5th grade, and I approached my mom about it one night where she told me:

“If you believe, you will receive.” – Leticia Puchacz (Mama Puch)

As a child, you definitely don’t want to ruin your chances at Santa gifting you with coal, so I did not bring it up again. It wasn’t until the following year where my parents came clean with all the moves they pulled behind the scenes to make believe that Santa visited our house each year. A special shout out goes to my dad for chugging glasses of milk at 3am every year.

The holiday season is one of my favorite times of year, especially as an adult. My heart overflows with joy. I am someone who listens to Christmas music year round if it happens to come up shuffled on my playlist. It puts me in the best mood! What is your favorite Christmas song? Mine is “Underneath the Tree” by Kelly Clarkson. If you pull up next to me at a stoplight and that song is playing, I am 100% dancing in my seat and jamming out as if I am in my very own music video.

Aside from playing holiday music to keep the Christmas cheer running, I love baking treats, shopping for presents for my family and friends, ordering festive holiday drinks at coffee shops, donating canned goods and picking a family from the Angel Tree at church to donate presents to a family in need, watching holiday movies (I can quote the movie Elf by heart and have absolutely attempted the escalator scene in real life), decorating the house and tree (pictured below), lighting holiday-scented candles, driving around to see Christmas lights, and attending the annual Manchester Ugly Sweater Christmas Party where all proceeds go to New Hampshire’s Make-A-Wish chapter, getting together with my closest Puritan Backroom friends for our annual Ho Ho Hostesses Secret Santa gift swap, as well as attending the restaurant-wide Puritan Backroom employee holiday party. The list goes on and on! I just adore this time of year minus the frigid winter that New Hampshire has.

As I have gotten older, the need for presents has faded. What I cherish most is spending quality time with those I love, keeping up with traditions, as well as making new memories every year, and celebrating the birth of Jesus. Time is precious, and the holidays are not everyone’s favorite and can often be stressful, so do your best to outpour love and joy to everyone you come across because a smile can shift someone’s entire perspective. Whether your culture celebrates Christmas, Hanukkah, another holiday, or nothing at all, I wish you all a safe, healthy, and joyous season to come!

Remember to stay humble and kind, always!

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xo –Jess