I Believe.

The world can be a cynical place. It is easy to lose sight of  the magic of this season as we rush, overextend, overbuy and become overwhelmed.

I am as guilty of this new-age celebration of marketing as anyone else. I worry about the number of presents we will have under the tree. I place my love squarely inside a box with a bow. I believe that my ability to provide what is desired is linked to my success as a parent. Will we disappoint them? How much is enough? How much is too much? Stuff. Things. Shiny, sparkly want. I wander through stores, doing math in my head. I don't see the magic. This is not a lecture. An intervention in an envelope arrived in the mail. Something amazing happened to my family. Here is my Christmas Story. My, "Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus."

This year has been difficult. We have struggled. We have made difficult decisions. We struggle to make ends meet. We stretch our dollar and creativity as we hurdle through. We have watched our savings shrink and our debt increase. We are in an ebb. We hope for the flow.

During this, we have done everything in our power to keep the children unaware, though stress always leaks into the home. Children always know. We have been home more. They are small. They don't understand why they can't participate in classes with friends. They ask for experiences outside of our reach. We have to say no. They are starting to ask less. We are finally settling into a new normal.

This year, my husband and I sat down to delicately discuss Christmas. What would we do? Which credit card had the lowest APR? How would we pay it off? We argued about who was going to go pick out the stuff, things and shiny, sparkly want.

Yesterday, a simple envelope arrived. Red, addressed to our family, begging to be opened. Our last name was misspelled. There was no return address. I opened the envelope. Inside was a card. The front simply said, Merry Christmas. I opened the envelope to discover one hundred dollars and the following message:

Someone once did something nice for me. It's my turn to pay it forward. Merry Christmas.

As the moment poured over me, I felt shock, joy, humility and gratitude. I knew that something incredible was happening. I believe. I believe that I was lost. I believe in the goodness of people. I believe that I want to create a new legacy of giving. I believe in moments of grace. I believe that Santa Claus is alive and well in the spirit of gracious giving in all of us. I believe in second chances. I believe in magic. I believe.

To the unknown Santa who chose our family, you have given us so much. For the selfless kindness, for the magic, for the perspective, thank you. We will not forget your reminder of the true meaning of giving. For gifts that money can't buy, thank you. And, thank you for the gift of the simple sentiment we look forward to passing along:

Someone once did something nice for me. It's my turn to pay it forward. Merry Christmas.

"Christmas magic is silent. You don't hear it --- you feel it, you know it, you believe it." - Kevin Alan Milne (The Paper Bag Christmas)

There's some SWAG in Santa's bag!

When I was a child, my originally Jewish but, by then, formerly Mormon father used to take us to Grandma's house for some good old fashioned, Christmas Eve merriment. Wait, didn't you just say your dad was originally Jewish? Stop being so smart, readers! Yes, my dear Grandma Ada would buy a tree, decorate it, make cocoa and buy a red, Santa hat. She did this because she loved us even if Christmas wasn't her speed and was outside of the festively decorated box she considered "normal". We wanted Christmas. Grandma Ada made it happen. That's the kind of lady she is. But, this story isn't about my badass, Jewish Grandma. (HI GRANDMA! I LOVE YOU!) This is about the holidays. It's about families, stress, drinking, eating and trying not to punch people directly in the throat.

Want some goodies? Have you been naughty or nice? Guess what, we don't care. Naughty, nice or anywhere in between, you can win!

Nineteen of your favorite mom humor bloggers had a meeting and we all agreed. There's a brand new book that we think you NEED to read this holiday season. The title says it all:





Click HERE to see what folks have to say about this new age Holiday Classic. Yes, I can call it a classic. This is my blog. It's a classic to me.


Spending The Holidays With People I Want To Punch In The Throat is a heartwarming (yes, really!) collection of hilarious holiday-themed personal stories and observations written by none other than Jen of the well-known blog People I Want To Punch In The Throat.  If the holidays have you stressing about gift giving, cookie decorating, or where in the world to put your Elf on the Shelf, then you need to take a parenting time out and read a chapter or two. And now you can have a chance to peruse the pages for free. Consider it our holiday gift to you. We are teaming up to give away 19 copies of the book. All you have to do is enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter link/form below for your chance to win an AUTOGRAPHED copy! BOOM! THROAT PUNCH!

Jen generously donated an autographed copy to every blogger participating in this giveaway so that we could increase your chances to win. This giveaway is open to US residents only. "But wait, that's not all!" we say in our best Price is Right announcer voice. We couldn't get a bunch of tech-savvy moms together for a book giveaway and not bring you an eReader, right?




SO, we are also giving away a Kindle Fire!

NINETEEN winners will receive a copy of Spending The Holidays With People I Want To Punch In The Throat and ONE lucky Grand Prize winner will receive a Kindle Fire! What are you waiting for? Get clicking!


 a Rafflecopter giveaway