Thanks so much to everyone for the submissions to my little holiday contest.. it was so wonderful to hear from all of you, and so refreshing to hear the real spirit of the holidays still exists!
I’m including some of my favorites.. there were so many great ones to choose from! The first is also the winner of the drawing for a complimentary session and proof album.. so big congrats to you! I look forward to seeing your sweet girls soon!
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All of the stress of getting everything perfect (or as close to perfect as our lives would ever allow!) for Christmas vanishes when the house fills with the sounds of cousins who we only see a few times each year, the smells of Mom’s apple pies and my aunt’s cornbread dressing, and the annual rehashing the same old stories that we’ve heard a million times yet still we sit to hear them one more time. It’s the new baby, the recent graduate who I swear was just a baby a few short years ago, and the love that we all have for one another. It’s the sense that we belong to each other. As a child, I couldn’t wait to open the gifts under the tree, but the true gift is the time we have together.
At the end of all the craziness is the bliss of sitting back with a cup of coffee on Christmas morning amid all of the shredded wrapping paper and bows, and watching the excited face of a little girl who knows she really did make Santa’s “nice” list because he brought her just what she wanted.
It’s our little slice of heaven on Earth.
M.H., Fort Worth
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On our sixth Christmas together, my true loves gave to me………….hope, wonder, wishes, and the true meaning of family. Cory and I love to watch our kids anticipate Christmas because we get to experience that light-hearted feeling we had as children all over again. Reese and Claire can\’t wait to make a cake for Jesus, have their Nanny spend the night Christmas Eve, bake cookies and candy, open presents, and of course, wait for Santa! My husband and I get to experience that innocence of childhood that makes Christmas so pure.
L.M., Arlington
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The holidays are like a breath of fresh air – a little break from the world and a welcomed return to the warm and familiar.
E.B., Arlington
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In our family, the holidays mean cookies with extra sprinkles, board games on a blanket in the living room, and snuggling together to watch old movies on the couch. Not any one specific tradition, just the guarantee of genuine quality time together to relax and enjoy each other and relish in our blessings.
K.D., Dallas
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Are you misty-eyed yet?? I told you they were great! 
A bit of official business now.. I am closed for business until January 8th. Phone and email messages will be answered based on urgency and availability. I’ve got more than a few projects I’m working on for next year, including some neat new products and blog activities, but mostly I just need to recover from the holiday rush! Until then… Happy New Year!
