Erin Akin Carroll

I just love being a part of this group of incredibly creative women. They are always coming up with the most fun content, and I have already used a few of their ideas this season.

Candy Cane Bars by Shay

Shay is the queen of easy, delicious recipes! You must try these candy cane bars.

Holly Jolly Champs Cocktail by Ashley

If Shay is the queen of easy, delicious recipes, then Ashley is the queen of the cocktail. You should definitely check out her recipe this week.

Merry and Bright Christmas Gift Tag by Lauren

I used these gift tags just the same way Lauren did this week for Hudson’s and Hayes’s classmates. I sent the PDF to Office Depot for printing, and then bought 30 light up bouncy balls from the Target dollar spot for the gifts. They were a hit!

Christmas Morning Breakfast Casserole by yours truly

Believe me when I say that you need to make this for Christmas morning, and supplement with this cinnamon roll casserole!

Christmas Rice Krispies Tree-ats by Jennifer

Jennifer and her daughter, Braylen, always have tons of fun together in the kitchen. I love these cute Rice Krispies Treats in the shape of Christmas trees.

Tips to Take Better Pictures on Christmas Morning by Jenny

We are so fortunate to have Jenny in our group and she is so talented! She shared the best, most practical tips for capturing great photos on Christmas morning.

Grab Gifts at Target by Megan

Megan did a really fun round up of last minute gifts to grab at Target.

A few weeks ago, we had the privilege of meeting the talented Emily Chappell. I came across Emily’s work when I searched on Facebook for a Columbia-area photographer.

All of our family photographers over the years have been so-very-talented, but no one has been local. Until we found Emily!

She was so much fun to work with. So easy- going and relaxed, and she just let the kids be kids.

She asked if I wanted to use any props, and I said no. My boys love to run and play, so they are best captured doing what they do best.

We had a wonderful session with her, and when we saw all the photos, it was immediately clear which photo was the winner for our annual Christmas card!

Earlier that day, Hayes fell and hit a glass-top table and busted his lip. It was pretty ugly. You can see his fat lip in some of these pictures, which is why he keeps poking it out like he’s sad. Poor guy was such a trooper that day.

And Hudson was surprisingly cooperative. He usually sees a camera and takes off and hides behind me. But I think he finally understands that if he just has fun and smiles, it will be a lot easier on everyone.

And Todd and I wanted some pictures together, but it’s hard to relax and take your picture with your husband while your children make a mad dash for the small lake on the other side of the photographer! We did laugh a lot. Clearly!

All photos by the fabulously talented Emily Chappell Photography

Back in October I was dreaming of a white space Christmas. Just like the ones I used to know. (See what I did there?)

It wasn’t all that white, y’all.

I had a week of Holiday Market. We attended a black tie event in Charleston. We moved. We had an entire house to unpack. And then Todd and I were in the Singing Christmas Tree at church, which was one of the highlights of my whole year.

But here we are on December 17. I still need to put the stamps on my Christmas cards so I can mail them. My tree is up but doesn’t have a topper. I went to Hobby Lobby to get ribbon to make bows for all of the gifts I need to wrap but I couldn’t find the kind of ribbon I wanted.

So guess what. I’m mailing those cards. And I’m wrapping those presents and leaving the bows off of them. I’m not going to worry about finishing decorating my house.

I will not add another little thing to my calendar or to-do list. We will eat soup and chili and grilled cheese sandwiches. We’ll have lazy evenings watching our favorite Christmas movies.

This precious month is zooming by and I need these last seven days to soak it up. And right now, for me, soaking it up doesn’t mean crossing off the list of traditions. It’s just being here and being still. Listening to my boys and staring at the Christmas tree. Letting them sit and watch the train go around and around the base of the tree as many times as they want.

Accepting the reality of this season of our lives and reminding myself that perfection isn’t life-giving is what I’m trying to learn. Despite trying to plan for a clear December, it didn’t happen. It never does. And even trying to have a completely intentional December didn’t work out too well for me either.

But it’s never too late to celebrate the gift of life that we received so long ago. I’m starting today.