We've survived 2020 (nearly!)

What a long, strange year it’s been. It’s been so hard to stay motivated as the social distancing drags on and on. I haven’t written a blog post since the beginning of November, even though it’s been on my to-do list every, single week.

The holiday season has been especially difficult for me, as I know it has for many of you. I’m an entertainer at heart, and our holiday gatherings haven’t been (and aren’t going to be) what we’re used to. To be completely honest — after scrolling through years of photos and reading some sweet emails and holiday cards — tears are rolling down my cheeks as I type.

I miss my people. I miss hugging friends and family. I miss feeding crowds of people. I miss our annual winter solstice gathering with our dearest friends and our holiday dinners with extended family. I even miss the fog of exhaustion as I put the final touches on a table for 20+.

But, we’ve made it. Vaccines are finally available (YAY!), and the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter. We can look back on the year and breathe a sigh of relief that we aren’t grieving the loss of a loved one, unlike so many around the world. And we can look forward to gathering (in a responsible way) shortly after Christmas with our big kids in a place where we’ve created lots of great memories over the years. In mid-January, our little trio will venture further afield (after quarantining for two weeks and meeting a stringent list of travel requirements) to the place that we love the very most. Yes, the light is getting brighter — SLOWLY, but surely.

One of our favorite traditions, on the darkest night of the year, is when we gather with dear friends to send wish lanterns into the winter sky. Since we were unable to do that this year, I leave you with a virtual wish (this photo was taken the night this tradition started in 2010) — for happiness and health through the holidays and in the year to come.

With love,