Finding “Very Merry” Moments in the Sometimes Messy-Middle

This year, if I’m honest, attending Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party felt more complicated than festive.

Last year this time

I went in hoping to recreate a memory, to step back into a holiday tradition that once felt light and easy. But the night didn’t land the same…and in some ways, that was always going to be true. Last year, I attended this party on the night my father-in-law passed away, and it turns out those associations don’t simply disappear because time has passed or the calendar says it’s once again time for Christmas. 🤷‍♀️

How this year hit different

There were moments of disappointment. Parts of the experience fell flat. I caught myself wishing I felt more excited, more present, more merry. And then, something softer happened.

Music from A Muppet Christmas Carol (a Searls family favorite Christmas movie) played during the castle show, and it stopped me in my tracks. I found myself pausing, breathing, remembering, a perfect bittersweet + nostalgic moment.

As the night went on, instead of rushing or worrying about checking everything off the list of things to do, see or eat, I chose to simply be fully present with friends—laughing, connecting, and letting the night be what it was.

It wasn’t perfect. But it was meaningful.

Takeaways to try on re: Finding “Very Merry” Moments in the Sometimes Messy-Middle

This season has been a reminder that there is room for everything: joy and sadness, gratitude and grief, tradition and change. You don’t owe the holidays constant cheer or forced brightness. And when moments of beauty do show up, sometimes quietly or unexpectedly, sometimes as a traditional treat, you’re allowed to receive and enjoy them fully.

💝Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas, exactly as this season meets you. ✨