We celebrated our first Christmas in our new home this week. It arrived in a soft blur of holiday parties, homemade gifts for friends and neighbors, and wrapping paper strewn with bows that never quite made it back into the box.
I can’t be the only mom who tucked presents into every available hiding spot around the house — closets, pantries, behind coats — hoping that if the kids found one stash, they’d stop looking and only uncover one or two gifts.
The Slow Christmas Morning
I hope your holiday was as slow, precious, and heartwarming as ours.
For those of us who celebrate Christ as our Messiah, Christmas is more than a tradition — it is a remembrance of His birth. The word itself, Christ Mass, points us back to the reason we gather. We’ve tried to instill this truth in our children: that Christ came so we might have everlasting life, and that this is the greatest gift we could ever receive.
And still — we celebrate with gifts.
This year, the kids were old enough to wait until 6 a.m. before racing down the stairs. (A few years ago, Luke and I caught them opening presents on their own at 2 a.m. — ask me how that went.)
I also made a quiet decision to release myself from food-related stress. In years past, I’ve made cinnamon rolls or monkey bread, but this year I opted for chocolate croissants, pre-made and ready in 8–10 minutes. By the time our coffee was poured, the croissants were in the oven and a fire was crackling in the fireplace.
In true Brown-kid fashion, the presents were unwrapped in a fraction of the time it took to wrap them. Unlike years past, we didn’t go “all out.” The kids received a few things they had asked for, but neither Luke nor I felt like we had overspent. With the promise of snow outside, they spent the day indoors — drifting between board games, art projects, and their new toys.
The Uneventful Christmas Dinner
We also agreed to keep Christmas dinner simple. After years of experimenting with turkeys and hams, Luke requested my Marry-Me Chicken with roasted potatoes. While still a decadent meal, it required only about an hour of prep — and the kids licked their plates clean, which felt like the truest mark of success.
The Day Embraced As Is
As I cleaned the kitchen that evening, gratitude washed over me. Bare feet padded across the floors. Laughter — and the occasional frustrated tear — echoed down the hallways. Wrapping paper sat in heaps at our feet.
I was reminded that Luke and I prayed for days like this long before we ever had children. As I stood there taking it all in, I thought of Mary — how after the shepherds came and the wonder of it all unfolded, “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). Not rushing past the moment. Not trying to preserve it perfectly. Just holding it — quietly, reverently — knowing it was holy.
That’s what this day felt like. Something to be treasured, not performed. A memory to carry gently, knowing it would not last forever, and that perhaps that is what made it so precious.
Parenting can feel heavy in the thick of it, but I know that one day this house will be quieter. The hallways will echo differently. And I will miss the sound of small feet running through the rooms we now call home.
The Gift of No-Pressure Christmas
Our first Christmas here was beautifully — and unapologetically — uneventful compared to years past. And it was exactly what we needed. No pressure. Just family time, rest, gratitude, and space to be with God.
Now, in the gentle twilight between Christmas and New Year’s, I’m savoring the slow moments with my husband and children — holding them loosely, knowing how quickly seasons pass.
In a world that urges us to do more, buy more, and perform more — this Christmas felt like an invitation to simply be. To treasure what is ordinary and fleeting. To rest in the reminder that Christ entered the world quietly, humbly, and without spectacle. And somehow, that changed everything.
Sometimes the greatest gift isn’t found under the tree.
Sometimes it’s simply the peace of being fully present.
This is officially the last post I’ll write this year and it feels surreal that I’ve written 32 of these posts already. I’ll continue to publish weekly in the New Year. Thanks for being here, I know this time of year is precious and I’m glad you spent a few minutes around my hearth. I’d love if you would share with someone you know who would love this community.
Until next time, friend, be blessed.
How beautiful to live in the extraordinary season of a God-blessed answered prayer… Merry Christmas to you and your family, dear soul!!! So proud of you!!!