Truth be told, this is basically the only photo we took on Christmas. It’s with my cell phone, it’s at .5x zoom because our living room is only slightly larger than a closet and our family has three full-grown teenagers and an actual real life adult. We sat together and opened gifts yesterday morning, and I didn’t bring my “big camera” out once because I just wanted to live in the moment. I didn’t want to worry about angles and lighting, or being sure I captured the most joy-filled expressions or curate anything for the ‘gram.

I just wanted to be present. That was my gift to myself.

So we set a self-timer, took a dozen cell phone photos of us together over the span of 45 seconds, and off we went. And it was perfect.

We glorify the idea of being busy and Instagram-ready all the time, but honestly – that hustle is exhausting. I want nothing to do that, because it’s not real. And it’s kinda boring if you think about it. Life is meant to be raw and messy, and it’s certainly not perfect.

This Christmas and the last few days have been a whirlwind of emotion and long-glossed over trauma (did you see my last blog?). I needed a day of laughter and presence, good food and good people – and that’s exactly what I got. It was better than anything anyone could have bought, wrapped, or hidden under the tree.

I hope your Christmas was peaceful and joy-filled, and that you were able to enjoy the day.