I am sharing my top gifting strategies (in no specific order) to make holiday shopping (and gift-giving) a much smoother and fun experience for you!

There are a couple of ways I’ve learned to celebrate the miracle of Christmas — practices that exchange sensational consumerism for quiet anticipation, and occasionally, joyous celebration. I want to give gifts that mean something to the person receiving them. I want to bake cookies and share them, decorate my house in a simple yet joyful, meaningful way. I want to soak in these moments, and share them with my family. I want to be a better neighbor. And I don’t want to feel guilty when I don’t get it all done in time. Magic carries with it a connotation of quickness, doesn’t it? Just snap your fingers. Santa maneuvers athletically in and out of houses — somehow, he gets it done.

I don’t know who’s missing from the family picture that no one wants to actually take.

But I think I just wanted to be a voice in the conversation. I wanted you to know that I’m with you. That someone out there is also going to be crying in front of the Christmas tree out of sadness, exhaustion, loneliness, and grief.