Not to sound like a Hallmark cliché, but sometimes, in our rush to make sure everyone on the list as an appropriate holiday gift, we forget that the holiday season — regardless of which one you celebrate — has its own distinct magic… if we bother to just look for it. And sometimes you have to pull yourself out of your comfort zone to find that magic, if only to appreciate it with the wonder it deserves. I purposely made this a wordless tale because I wanted everyone to see this the way the boys did: a forest that transforms when you’re with someone you love, the sheer happiness of skating with a partner you hold dear… It doesnt take much, honest. Just a willingness to let yourself go and wander into a world that’s light and colour and joy for its own sake.

I’ll admit: this hasnt been the best of all possible holiday seasons for me, for a host of reasons not worth getting into. Bottom line: through it, I’ve come back to remembering those people who are most important to me and why they are as such. They may be hundreds of miles away — in some cases, thousands — but they are still close in my heart this holiday.

All right, we have a few more days before the Big 25th, so we’re going to check in and see how everyone else is handling this holiday. As always, thank you for being such devoted readers. It means more than you can imagine.