'Tis The Season

. . . to lose my mind.
December. Christmas cards not done. Presents . . . not nearly done. Wrapping? You have got to be friggin' kidding me.
And if it's December, I must have a deadline from hell.
Give the lady a prize . . . YES!
I am trying to wrap up a book, do a proposal, and I promised my kids I would work on the fantasy book I am writing for them. So somehow I have to fit all that in with the rest of my life and Christmas, and it ain't looking pretty.
However, I do remember one word a lot. BREATHE.
And beyond that, I look for the moments. Those freeze-frame moments of joy in the season, like last night driving aimlessly and looking at lights with a mom-van full of squealing kids. Or watching It's a Wonderful Life with my seven-year-old for her FIRST time and seeing it through her eyes, and still welling up in the end even though I've seen Clarence get his wings a hundred times before.
So . . . breathe . . . and enjoy.
Merry Christmas to all.