🎄You Don't Have to Work That Hard

Dec 16, 2025

You Don’t Have to Work That Hard

A Christmas photo story, and a reminder for you this week

I love Christmas photos.
Ask my kids.
(Actually, maybe don’t. There might be stories. 😉)

For a long time, I believed that the perfect photo, with coordinated outfits, cooperative children, and well-behaved animals all smiling at the same time, was somehow proof that I’d pulled off the magic of Christmas.

There was even a year when my sister-in-law and I decided to take that idea to a new level:
Let’s do a group photo.
Five kids under the age of 10.
What could possibly go wrong? 😂

Then came the next idea: “Let’s do matching outfits.” 👕👖👗
That got complicated fast, so we pivoted to a red theme. 🟥 Close enough.

And then, somewhere between ambition and chaos, we settled on a local Christmas fundraiser hosted at the vet’s office. The scheduling was easy, so that was a win.

"Will you be bringing your dog?" the kind woman doing the scheduling asked. 😂
Challenge accepted. "Yes. We'll bring our dogs."😱

Three dogs.
Five children.
A tiny exam room.
A Christmas tree.
And a man dressed as the Grinch.

Guess what? We got the picture! That's what caffeinated moms of young children around Christmas do, right? We make things happen!

But here’s what the picture doesn’t show:

The Christmas tree tipping over
The noise five giggling children and three restless dogs can make
The kids trying to be sandbags on the leashes so the dogs didn't get loose.
The Grinch scaring one of the dogs.
Someone yelling, “Can we all PLEASE be serious?”

The final shot? It’s beautiful. Everyone’s smiling. The dogs are sitting. You’d never know what it took to get there. I pull it out every year and marvel at what we managed to do. I love that photo.

I also want to go back and hug those two moms.

Because what I didn’t know then is what I hope you’ll remember now:

You don’t have to work that hard.

Especially not this week.

I know it’s tempting.
Tempting to pull off the magic. 🪄
To make the memory.
To get the picture. 📷
To stick the landing on that Pinterest-worthy Christmas plan. 🎄

And you might still do some of it.
I probably still will too.

But while you’re doing it, please remember this:

The real memory is already happening all around you.

So this week?

Don't worry if the outfits clash, the cookies are store bought or the kids are making a mess with their Christmas crafts.

Take the picture if you want to.
But don’t miss the moment trying to make it perfect.

Gather them close.
Be in it.

You’re already doing enough.
More than enough.
And if I could, I’d come give you a hug too.

Merry Christmas, friend.
Let’s not forget to enjoy it.

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