Happy December, friends! Wow, wow, wow! Can you believe it's here? I feel like we just celebrated my youngest's first birthday, and that was back in September. Here we are, three months later, and it's Christmastime! The holiday season is my absolute favorite. It is filled with so much light, hope, and joy, it makes my heart flutter just thinking about it.

December usually brings about a fair amount of stress for me, and I'm sure for many of you as well. It's a busy time, and there is so much to do from decorating our homes to baking, getting holiday cards printed and mailed, shopping, wrapping, parties, events, and everything else. This year, there's extra stress for my family because we're not in our own space as our home is still under construction and renovation. Everything sort of seems topsy-turvy, but I have prayed for PEACE, and God has surely brought me some of that.

Life is so unpredictable. There is a lot of sorrow and hurt that fills up our lives and can truly consume every moment if we let it. I am choosing to focus on joy and light this holiday season... and trust me, it's a daily mindset thing. I'm extra aware of it and am making a conscious effort to focus on the joy because it's there. There's joy in putting out a treat basket for my delivery drivers. There's joy in asking a friend for an updated address to send them a card. There's joy in running into friends when holiday shopping. There's joy in watching my kids as they wake up to see the elf's shenanigans each morning. There's joy in the children practicing their Christmas program songs. There's joy in my church on Sunday mornings. There's joy in talking with my family about our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day plans and making preparations. Thank you, Lord, for Joy!

It's going to be busier each day leading up to Christmas, but I encourage you to slow down and focus on every little (or big) thing that brings Joy to your life. It's absolutely worth it!