Recipe for a Perfect Holiday

If you are anything like me, you’re hoping for the perfect holiday.

And there’s no shortage of inspiring images to make you feel a little bit less than perfect. Case in point: Pinterest. It’s chock-full of gorgeous photos of holiday decorations, food and gifts I could never achieve. (For instance, this holiday cake is just too cute!)

As I baked gingerbread cookies with my son yesterday, I was reminded of this simple (and powerful) fact:

Perfection is in the mind of the beholder.

I had planned to bake up a batch of gingerbread boys and let the kids decorate them with white Royal icing and candies. Carson immediately asked if there would be gingerbread girls. “I don’t think we have a girl-shaped cookie cutter,” I admitted, knowing he’d be unhappy if I suggested the gingerbread girls could wear pants just like the boys. (My little know-it-all is just not ready for the idea of unisex gingerbread people.) “You can see what we have,” I said.

He dug through the bags of cookie cutters searching for inspiration and there she was: the Statue of Liberty. “She’s a girl!” he said. That led to other ideas…like a gingerbread Eiffel Tower and a gingerbread State of New Jersey.

Any plans I had about a plate of cookies that look Pinterest-worthy went right out the window. But he had a blast decorating the Statue of Liberty’s “book” with tiny M&M’s and shaking green sparkly sugar all over the state of New Jersey. (It *is* the garden state, after all.)

Here’s the simplest recipe I have found for a happy holiday:

Start with a smidge of inspiration. Add your own creativity. Fold in others’ ideas to whip up the joy. Mix thoroughly, making sure everyone gets in on the action. Share the results — even if they don’t look perfect. Chances are, they’ll be more than good enough.

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