Finding Peace and Joy During the Holidays Even When the ‘Magic’ is Missing

The kids, back when the holidays were filled with magic. Photo by Amy Daniels.

I don’t have small kids in the house anymore nor do I have a big kid who still fully believes in the magic of Christmas. Life’s a bit different these days (to put it mildly). But I’m learning that different can be okay. In fact, it can be more than okay.

Sure, I miss the energy that flitted through our house in the weeks leading up to Christmas. There was an urgency in the air; a constant countdown of when Santa would arrive, and questions of being on the nice or naughty list. I particularly miss the worry on my daughter’s face when she thought, surely, her brother was on the naughty list.

But surprisingly, I’m learning that I actually enjoy the new calmness in my house. The quiet nights I spend at home, still falling asleep early on the couch as if I have kids to tend to in the morning, aren’t very exciting but they are peaceful.

I leisurely made cookies one day and frosted them another. I didn’t even force my older son to participate. He’s past the age when that counts as fun and not quite to the age that he does it to feel nostalgic. We don’t need to have a forced Facebook memory to make others believe we are a happy family doing the holidays “right”.

I shopped here and there for gifts but didn’t stress out about them. One lesson I’ve…