A Big Heart for Your Holidays

Bookkeeping Influencer: Heather Russell

It's that time again – lights, shopping lists, and a little bit of chaos. Are we excited? Maybe. Are we ready? That's another story.

For many of us, this season means gathering with loved ones, exchanging gifts, and soaking in that festive buzz that seems to hang in the air. But I also know people who admit they look forward to Christmas and New Year's and dread them a little too. The shopping lists, the long drive, the pressure to make it all picture-perfect.

Somewhere in between the wrapping paper and the receipts, we forget that the holidays were never meant to be about perfection. They were meant to be about connection. About people who come home after a long time away – soldiers, expats, loved ones we've missed.

About remembering those who can't be with us but still live in our stories and our hearts.

Commercialism isn't going anywhere. We can choose how much space we give it. Simplify, slow down, and remind ourselves that happiness isn't something you can buy. The funny thing is, the more you share it, the more it multiplies.

So whatever your holidays look like this year, I hope you find peace in the small things and the comfort of knowing that love and kindness don't cost a dime.

They're not tax-deductible, though, by the way.