For our December 2018 Spoke Writing Challenge, we asked you to tell us your best stories about making holiday memories. We loved all the sweet traditions and awesome stories our Spoke Contributors shared with us.
Here are the three winning Spoke posts from this fun challenge, which garnered each winning writer a sweet $100 prize. Interested in getting in on our Spoke Writing Challenges? Sign up to become a Spoke Contributor if you haven’t already and check your inbox for our next Spoke Writing Challenge, dropping soon!
Dear Parents: Give Yourself Permission for the Holidays
It’s that time of year. You know that I’m talking about.
The holidays. The stress. The presents and movies and so much wrapping. Reaching for that Christmas magic. Clinging to those moments that become memories with your kids…and you’re mentally preparing yourself for all the extra that comes with this season.
Earlier this year, my 10-year-old caught me trying to slip a buck under her pillow while grabbing her tooth, way the heck under her pillow, in the pre-dawn hours when I thought she was still asleep. She kept my secret with the understanding if she told her little brother, the cash-for-teeth deal was over.
Armed with this knowledge, she quickly figured out not only is Mommy the Tooth Fairy, I am also the laundry fairy, the dishes fairy, the cleaning fairy (I actually had my kids—and maybe even my husband—believing in these domestic goddess fairies), the Easter Bunny and so on. You know what’s next: Santa.
There’s a lot of pressure these days to give our kids the perfect holiday filled with memories that will last a lifetime. We have so many traditions now, it’s hard to get them all done each year. Instead of making candy, we bake and decorate cookies. We still put up our tree, but it has a lot more ornaments, lights, ribbon and tinsel than it used to. My daughter was always scared of Santa, so we only have two pictures of her with him and she’s 11 years old.
Thanks to everyone who shared their awesome stories with our Spoke Contributor Network! Learn more about joining Spoke here—and we’ll see you for the next Spoke Writing Challenge.
