Everywhere I go right now, Christmas sneaks in through the cracks. Flawless singing, bells ringing, and a possible stolen glance from a jolly person in a bright red suit(white beard may or may not be real).

Santa makes me happy. The few weeks of hope, the focus on being good and thoughtful, and definitely, the whole giving and receiving part.  I’m also thinking about that historical list—the naughty and nice list—a timeless tool of reflections, assessments, and questions asked to make you wonder if you really do deserve everything you want.

Yesterday, we took the kiddos to see Santa. My daughter beamed excitement, eager to get dressed up in her glittery dress, sparkly boots and silver tights to match. She couldn’t wait for me to help her, staring at me as I was getting ready with big eyes and an even bigger smile to match. Contagious, I couldn’t help but reflect her wonder remembering myself what it felt like to believe in magic. The part that really touched me was when she and my son adamantly said, “Mom, we want to give Santa something too. Doesn’t Santa want a toy?”

I loved it.

So back to the naughty and nice list. I think it’s good to reflect over the year. I think it’s good to think about all the lessons learned. I also think it’s even better to hold on to the magic of Christmas, the dreams, wishes, and the swell of the heart full of caring and giving. The bad stuff will always be there, but it’s what you do with it that matters. I do believe we all want something, and I think we deserve our heart’s desires—our deepest wishes no matter the hurts that have happened.

This week, no matter if you believe in Santa or not, may you still feel a bit of that glittery magic of hope, believing in dreams, and sharing it with others. May your week sparkle with the eyes of a child. May all your dreams shine so bright you can’t help but believe.

And speaking of dreams, because it’s true, I need to mention what’s going on with my biggest one unfolding before my eyes. Here’s the list of events this week, for One More Day. Be sure to check out. I’ll be visiting myself on Tuesday, December 10,  with all the other lovely authors. My favorite kind of guest post.

Monday, December 9
katherineSkye

Tuesday, December 10
Scribbler’s Sojourn, featuring brief thoughts from all of us lovely ladies :0)

Wednesday, December 11
Happy Tails and Tales, featuring Danielle Shipley

Thursday, December 12
Brooke Blogs

Friday, December 13
Never Wordless

And here! Right here on December 13, I’ll be having a sweet eighth grade visitor, the winner of my free ARC giveaway, reflecting over the story in One More Day, most real to her.

Happy Monday!