It’s been a week.

A laser light show sitting in our car, dancing and singing along to Christmas carols.

A snowball fight in our front yard and sled riding down the hillside.

A movie on Netflix and popcorn in buckets while daddy adds logs to the fire.

A cup of hot cocoa with marshmallows while building gingerbread houses.

This is exactly what we needed.

Time together as a family.

Not thinking about the pandemic or school or when the next assignment is due.

No interruptions.

Just us.

Soaking in each other’s company and surrounding one another in laughter and hugs.

The pandemic has taken away so much throughout this year and I refuse to let it take away our Christmas spirit.

Yes, I’m sad we couldn’t be with extended family and enjoy the big gathering around the dinner table.

It definitely looks and feels different during this holiday season, but nothing can steal our spirit unless we allow it to.

And I’m not going to let that happen.

Focus on what we CAN do right?

We can FaceTime family and friends.

We can camp out on the floor by the twinkling tree with sleeping bags and pillows.

We can put on our favorite music and dance around the living room without a care in the world.

We can embrace the memories and remember not to take these moments for granted.

And we can hope that next year will look a little more traditional and a lot less virtual.

Until then, I’m staying present in the moment and thanking God for another day that our family is happy and healthy.

Friends, let’s be grateful for the small things and all of the little moments in life.

Because in the end, they end up being the big things that matter the most.