Self-Care Sunday: Spend Time with People You Love

Ever since our oldest daughter did an internship after college graduation at Disney World in ☀️Orlando, we have been spending Christmas in the Most Magical Place on 🌎Earth. That first year- she was in the throws of work as an intern and had to work a long shift at Hall of Presidents🇺🇸 on Christmas🎄Day.  We’re the kind of family who supports one another in anything and everything, so we all headed to the Magic Kingdom not long after sunrise to spend time in the parks together before her shift started. We also waited for her shift to end, which meant that we spent 17 hours at the park. Granted- 17 hours at the Magic Kingdom doesn’t sound bad. And- it really wasn’t…except for the extreme 😴fatigue that we all felt by the end of the day. In case you’re wondering, the show in Hall of Presidents is about 25-minutes in a dark theatre, which provides the perfect cover for weary travelers who need to catch a quick nap. You’re welcome! We closed our eyes during that show-twice- while our daughter was working that night. Shhh…

Christmas🎄at Disney World is amazing. The holiday festivities. The holiday treats. Fake ❄️snow on Main Street USA. Jungle Cruise reimagined into Jingle🚤Cruise. Christmas around the 🌎world through the storytellers in the World Showcase at Epcot- my personal favorite. But, you want to know what best thing about Christmas at Disney World? Spending time together as a family.❤️

We are a blended family, technically. In our eyes, though, we are simply a family. That means- anyone is welcome to join the fun! Who cares if you’re dad or step-dad. Mom or girlfriend. If you are connected to one of us, you ARE one of us!😀

We rented a condo via Airbnb this year, and we’re wondering why we haven’t done this before. Typically, we stay at a Disney resort. If you haven’t stayed at a Disney resort, do it! They are worth every penny. We tried the condo route this year because we had so many people coming and wanted a space to accommodate everyone 🛁rather than getting several rooms at a resort. It was definitely the way to go. Laundry👚👖in our condo alone was worth it. The only downside was the fact that we had to make trips to the market to get all of those essentials that are typically provided at resorts or in your own homes, like toilet paper, paper towels,  toiletries, ☕️coffee, and 🍩🍿snacks. We also had to keep up with washing the towels on our own since we were the maid service. Those little things weren’t problems at all. Being together in one ample space far outweighed the minor inconveniences.

We set up a little area for Christmas stockings and 🎁presents. The kids even hung ornaments on the potted plant🎄 in the condo. Santa put 🎁gifts on the dining table on Christmas Eve, ready to be opened when we all woke on Christmas Day. Yes- I’m well aware that my kids are far too old for🎅🏼 Santa. I refuse to give it up! We still believe in the magic of Santa. Christmas is a magical time, after all. Truth be told, it’s probably more for me at this point than it is for them! Why give up fun traditions just because we grow up?

When we return home from 🌴Florida each year, we get the opportunity to 🎉celebrate again with the rest of our family. For us, the holiday season is all about spending time with family and friends. It means 🎉celebrating together whether it’s riding Splash Mountain at Disney World or sharing a pizza🍕at home while opening gifts a few days after Christmas. It’s about the 🕰time we spend together.

Spending time with the people you ❤️love during the holidays just makes the season extra special.  But- don’t limit the magic to December 25. Let’s take this a few steps further. Let’s talk about making every📆day magical. Make time to share a meal or FaceTime a faraway friend. Send that random 📱text. Share that funny video. Take a 👟walk or run errands together. How about simply sitting down to watch a show or chat?

It doesn’t matter if your family sleeps in a room down the hall or a bed 🛌 in another city. So what if your best bud is 🏖in a different state. Who cares if you’re not with your friends and family every single day. You can still show up in their lives. ❤️You can still connect. ❤️

Self-Care Sunday tip: spend time with people you love any way that you can. ❤️ Making connections with those we love is always worth it.

Who do you need to spend time with today? Don’t let them walk away. Figure out how to make it happen. 😘