Dear You: Merry Christmas.

Dear you,

I hope that no matter how December has looked for you until now, that starting today, you have a magical Christmas. I hope the next few days are spent surrounded by people who love you fiercely, whether that’s in person or virtually. I hope you know you’re loved, no matter what life looks like. I hope you allow yourself to feel that love, to soak in it. 

I hope that you let go of any feelings of regret or guilt on what this season looked like for you. It’s okay if you’re in survival mode and didn’t manage to check lots (or any) of the traditions off your list. You’ve made so many holiday memories, and you’ll make so many more. 

I hope you allow some of the wonder and curiosity left over from childhood to take over this week. That your heart can believe that a magical world and a flawed, broken one can somehow coexist, and that means no matter what your heart may be grieved over right now, that you can choose to see and bask in the magic of Christmas, just for now. 

I hope that if this Christmas is hard for you for any reason – loss or loneliness or anxiety or overwhelm – that you tell someone. That you allow someone who loves you to love you through the hard parts of this week.

I hope you make the next few days special for YOU, whatever that looks like. I hope you don’t let the pressures of the expectations of others change what you do this week. I hope you spend your time how you want to spend your time, that you see the people you want to see, and that you avoid all adult responsibility as much as possible.

I hope that your Christmas is filled with all things merry and bright, with love and joy and magic, with glitter and confetti and wrapping paper with that makes you smile every time you see it. 

I hope that you laugh at Will Ferrell parading around Central Park in yellow tights, that your eyes get a little misty when Linus reads the Christmas story, and that when you fall asleep on Christmas Eve, you’re warm, happy, and thankful for how full of magic you feel. 

I hope that this Christmas is truly magical for you. I hope it goes down in the books as one of your best. 

Merry Christmas, you beautiful soul. I love you.