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days, there’s a persistent voice inside my head whispering that I need to slow down, savor these precious December moments, and reflect on the deeper meaning of the season. But finding time for contemplation feels impossible when I’m juggling work and there are gifts to purchase, presents to wrap, decorations to retrieve from the basement, cookies and casseroles to bake, cards and packages to send, and people to visit. The true spirit of the holidays calls to me like a comfortable chair by the fireplace, yet I’m too busy dashing around to sink into its cushions and relax.

Again, I know that I am not alone in feeling this way. I don’t want to be a Scrooge. I don’t want to be like the Grinch. I don’t want to live in a perpetual state of pressure and frustration. I want to feel at ease, but how?

And then, my question is answered. There are the brief moments of grace in the in-between days: watching a cardinal’s winter dance at the backyard feeder while waiting for my coffee to brew; seeing the first bloom on my Christmas cactus and thinking about my Grandmother Jarriel; savoring a spoonful of ambrosia and remembering my mom; sharing a laugh with an old friend during a quick catch-up call; hearing the giggles of my nephew’s kids; or catching the scent of fresh cedar outside while walking the dog in the woods. Perhaps the magic of this season lives not in the grand gestures we imagine we should be making or in the gatherings we imagine we should be preparing and hosting, but in the small, stolen moments of joy that pepper these hectic days. So let’s try and notice those and focus on those — today, tomorrow, and every day.