2018 Week 4: Accountability Update

Here’s what I accomplished in Week 3 of 2018! It was a great week.

  1. Bought another domain name, which I will be building a website on very soon!
  2. Made 20 slideshows for the Udemy course I am working on (it will be based on my book “101 Ways to Love Yourself“).
  3. Published 3 blog posts (The Seven Levels of WhyMy 2018 Goal List, & Week 3 Accountability Update).
  4. Filmed clips for the first episode of my new YouTube show “Produce Exploration”, which is an educational show about various types of fruits & vegetables, what they taste like, & how to use them. The first episode is about Red Rome Apples, & the video should be up later this week.
  5. Put my 2nd custom jean jacket (“RENEGADE“) in my online shop!
  6. Wrote 1 chapter of the Tarot card definition book I am working on.
  7. Promoted my YouTube videos & original products on websites like Pinterest & Twitter.
  8. Asked another person for a blog interview. She said yes, & I sent her the interview questions.
  9. Networked with 5 new people!
  10. Downloaded DaVinci Resolve video editing software (I haven’t got a chance to use it yet).
  11. Made 2 new illustrations to be used as designs for t-shirts, posters, etc.
  12. Planned a farm animal-themed coloring book.
  13. Drew illustrations for my “The Seven Levels of Why” blog article. I’ve never really illustrated an article of mine before. It was a lot of fun, & I really like the end result.
  14. Recorded the bass guitar for my cover of the Crowded House song “Archer’s Arrows”. I hopefully will finish my cover of the song in the upcoming week.
  15. Put another design of t-shirts & posters on my website.
  16. Published the 10th episode of my podcast.
  17. Made & put out 2 YouTube videos – the 32nd episode of my weekly show, plus one pet video about my pet corydoras catfish.
  18. Finished reading “So Good They Can’t Ignore You” by Cal Newport. Started reading a book about Superfood snacks.
  19. Bought some of the supplies for the pet tortoise I’ll be getting later in February.
  20. Did excellent on my health goals – exercised almost every day, reduced my added sugar intake significantly, & ate at least five servings of vegetables six days this week!

I feel like I’m gaining a lot of momentum & making a ton of progress! I’m so excited to see how this year unfolds!

The Seven Levels of Why

The Seven Levels of Why :: www.ashleecraft.com

Why are you doing the thing you’re doing every day?

There are seven levels of “WHY”. If you keep asking yourself, you can get to the bottom of it & find out what REALLY is keeping you going.

I heard about this idea first while reading the article “How to Consistently Act From Your Deepest ‘Why’ and Optimize Your Time” by Benjamin Hardy. In it, he says,

“Think about what it is you want, and ask yourself this simple question:

What about ___________ is important to me?

Just answer the first thing that comes to mind.

Don’t over complicate it.

[…] It’s good to go at least 7-questions deep into this exercise.”

You start asking yourself “WHY?”. The first reason is probably some semi-B.S., superficial reason that’s visible immediately. It’s your initial knee-jerk reaction, which also might be a somewhat canned response.

I’m going to use my personal examples here because I know them the best obviously. But this is something I’ve been thinking a lot about recently.

Why do we do the things we do?

What keeps you going? Why do you keep doing what you’re doing even when it really hurts? What separates the things that hurt but matter from the things that hurt but are bad?

So I went down the seven levels to find out my core reason.

Why did I want to be a millionaire? I asked myself.

Why was being a millionaire important to me?

MILLIONAIRE :: The Seven Levels of Why :: www.ashleecraft.com

So I could have financial freedom, of course. Plus all the things “financial freedom” encompassed.

Why was financial freedom important to me?

FINANCIAL FREEDOM :: The Seven Levels of Why :: www.ashleecraft.com

Because financial freedom would allow me to spend my time doing things that made me happy. It would give me the freedom to help others. So the obvious “freedom” was the answer.

Why was freedom important to me?

FREEDOM :: The Seven Levels of Why :: www.ashleecraft.com

Because freedom would allow me to maximize my happiness. It would allow me to make my life a perfect expression of happiness.

Why was happiness important to me?

HAPPINESS :: The Seven Levels of Why :: www.ashleecraft.com

This is when this questionnaire became a little more difficult. Why did I want happiness? I couldn’t put this one in a box so easily. My first reaction was, “Happiness is important because HAPPINESS is important.” I felt like I’d reached the end of the road. How could I go a level deeper?

But I knew there WERE more levels. “Happiness” was too easy of an answer. It wasn’t deep enough.

Okay.

So, why was happiness important to me?

SELF LOVE :: The Seven Levels of Why :: www.ashleecraft.com

I suddenly knew. A phrase I came up with months ago came to mind.

Because I know I cannot FULLY love myself until I’m living a life that makes me happy.

Aha! So there WAS an answer to this. But self-love was, in itself, a pretty good answer. Just like happiness had been. But, like happiness, there had to be a deeper answer.

Why was self-love important to me?

I DESERVE IT :: The Seven Levels of Why :: www.ashleecraft.com

Because I know I deserve to live my best life. Because it’s my purpose.

Six levels down.

& with sudden clarity, the answer to the seventh came so easily. It was an ineffable feeling of destiny, of KNOWING something without doubt. But put into words, it’s something like this.

Why was living my best life important to me?

WHO I AM :: The Seven Levels of Why :: www.ashleecraft.com

Because it’s WHO I AM. WHO I CAN BE.

My 2018 Goal List

My 2018 Goal List :: A photo by Gareth Harper. unsplash.com/photos/yACpBcInUos
2017 was definitely an outstanding year. I went on my Epic Florida Road Trip. I rode on a plane for the first time (to go to Houston to see Queen in concert). I saw a lot of amazing bands in concert. l produced a lot of creative work & added to my business. I released my first app, & I published 11 books.
But 2018 is going to be THAT MUCH MORE AMAZING.
Because 2017 gave me the tools & the confidence I need to level up even more this year. For me, the theme of 2018 is: “DO DIFFICULT THINGS WELL”. I really want to challenge myself & grow as a person, so I specifically designed these goals to do just that.
Here’s what I have planned for 2018:
  • Become a self-made millionaire. This is my top goal because it will help a lot of my other goals happen. I’m going out there to get the good things that I deserve. I do this because I love myself, & I also love a good challenge.
  • Start eating healthy consistently & exercising daily. Over the past year, I have IMPROVED, but I’m still way behind where I’d like to be as far as healthy habits. I know I could do better. I end up only eating 1-2 servings of vegetables a day. This is due to my “addiction” to processed sugar & non-vegetable foods. I also walk a bit each day, but I can be quite sedentary at times & don’t exercise the recommended 30 minutes a day. Sometimes, I also eat too much sugar. But I want to eat healthier, I know it will help me feel my best & have the most energy, so I’m going to do this.
  • Live with passion every day. Like Tony Robbins talks about. I’m going to make 2018 my happiest year yet. Making sure I’m living with passion & taking time for self-care are habits that will help me do this.
  • Publish more books. This year’s book list includes: my Epic Florida Road Trip book. A photography album of artistic photos of the Tampa Bay area. A seven-zine series of photos I took on my road trip. The second zine in my Flowers series of photography zines. A zine of botanical garden photos. Several poetry books. My essay book, Not a Dime a Dozen. A Tarot card dictionary. Several more books for my Wonderful Wildlife & 50 Adorable Facts animal series. The second book in the Summer Hayes series. More issues of Assemblage.
  • Release my third album of music. I released my second album, “confusion is over”, in 2015. I’ve done some cover songs, but I have not released any more albums or singles since then.
  • Get a pet tortoise & pet crested geckos. I’m currently prepping for a red foot tortoise hatchling right now & I’m doing a ton of research. Tortoises are fascinating & so sweet. I’m really looking forward to adding one to my critter family. Sometime later in the year, I plan on getting some baby crested geckos too.
  • Create & release my first Udemy course. I’m working on a course RIGHT NOW that’s based on my 101 Ways to Love Yourself course. I still have a pretty long way to go on it, but it’s going to be an amazing, comprehensive course. It will have more than 100 videos, many worksheets, podcast versions of each episode, & much more.
  • Go to A LOT more amazing concerts & other awesome places/events. I have some of these activities planned already. I’m making sure I always have something to look forward to doing. I learned in the past year that adding to my “experience library” is something that adds immense value to my life.
  • Release at least two more apps for iOS devices. Last year, I released my “Adorable Fall Stickers” app for iOS devices, & I have a few more apps in the works.
  • Travel to a state I’ve never been to, travel somewhere else in Florida, & travel to another country. This was on the list last year. I did go somewhere else in Florida & to another state, both of which were goals on the previous list. I’m refreshing this goal because I want to do the same thing this year but with different places.
  • Become a certified ethical hacker. Ethical hacking has always fascinated me. If nothing more it will help me educate myself about web security for my own benefit. I bought the Udemy course, & now I just have to DO THE COURSE.
  • Go on another road trip. An RV would be amazing to help me achieve my road trip goals. I would love the feeling of being able to have a mini-home I can take anywhere.
  • Buy an RV. An RV would be amazing to help me achieve my road trip goals, & I would love the feeling of being able to have a mini-home I can take anywhere.
  • Become a life coach. I love helping & coaching other people achieve their goals & live their best lives. I realized that last year, so becoming a life coach is definitely going to be something I pursue in 2018.
  • Direct, produce, write, film, & act in a full-length indie film. This was on last year’s list & I didn’t do it. Which means I HAVE to do it this year. I love film, I love acting, & I think it would be super-awesome to actually make my own film. I’ve completed four short films, but I’m taking the bull by the horns this time & making a feature-length film.
  • Expand my network & make genuine friends. Everybody can benefit from this, & it’s something I definitely need to do. It’s also outside of my current comfort zone, so you know what that means? I have to do it to grow.
  • Get all the domains I have purchased but never made websites out of made into websites & making money for me. I currently own 10 or 11 domains, & I’m only using three of them. I’ve owned some of the domains for years & still haven’t made them public. This is embarrassing. They’re sitting around costing me money & no one can see them. So VERY SOON, all these sites are going to be up & running, & I’m going to post links to them on this blog when I do!
  • Become a fashion designer & start selling my first original clothing design. I have some great designs that I will release over the next few months. I’m so excited about seeing them when they’re done. I’ll be even more thrilled to be able to wear them myself, & being able to share them with others.
  • Walk a marathon. Last year, I walked a 5k. I need to challenge myself physically. I don’t enjoy running, but I did want a goal that was out of my (current) league, so I chose this. I know it will require a lot of training, but I’m ready to train. This will also help me achieve my goal of making 2018 my healthiest year yet.
  • Launch several products that I have in the works. Many of these are things I’ve wanted to do for forever. It’s time I made them something you can buy!
  • Complete all the online courses I have purchased. I bought them, & like my domains, they can’t benefit me until I use them.
  • Read 75 books. In 2016, I read almost no books. In 2017, I read 57 books. My goal for 2018 is 75 books. Another stretch goal, but I’m going to do my best! Besides, for a book-lover like me, the idea of reading 75 books & gaining all that knowledge makes me drool.
  • Interview more people for my blog. I love doing this, & I have a few people slated for this right now. It’s so much fun, I love the value I’m able to provide whomever I’m interviewing, & I always learn a ton.
  • Grow my online store. I have so many products, product ideas, & new designs that I can’t wait to show you!
  • Become more of a minimalist. I made progress here in the last year (it was on the 2017 list too) but I have a lot more progress to make. To echo what I said in my 2017 blurb about it,

    “This means excluding things – physical things, mental things, wasted time, unhappiness – to make more room for the things that really do feel good. I’m not trying to have as few things as possible, but as many things that make me happy with as few unnecessary things as possible. I really like this quote from this article I was reading earlier, titled Like Henry David Thoreau, but with Wi-Fi. ‘Everything in my life become my favorite thing.’ I want to live my life like that. “

  • Become a contributor to the Entrepreneur Magazine website. They’re one of my favorite websites. It would be an honor to be considered “good enough” to be a contributor. This will require me to improve & hone my writing skills, so it’s a good challenge.
  • Partner up with some of my favorite brands & companies in a way which benefits us both. With these new products & new ideas that I will launch in 2018, I’m going to add a LOT of value to the brands I partner up with.
You can stay updated on these projects & follow me on my favorite platforms with these links:

2018 WEEK 3: ACCOUNTABILITY UPDATE

Here’s my accountability post for Week 3! I made some big strides towards increasing my income & creating additional opportunities for myself.

  1. Made 13 slideshows to be used in my first Udemy course, which will be based on my 101 Ways to Love Yourself book.
  2. Wrote & published 2 blog posts.
  3. Sent out an email newsletter to my followers.
  4. Published 3 YouTube videos, including Episode 031 of my weekly show.
  5. Researched blog monetization strategies.
  6. Had 45-minute meeting with my business-owner uncle regarding internet marketing & freelance strategies.
  7. Submitted the paperwork to change the name of my company from Freedom Meadow Media, LLC to Ashlee Craft, LLC in order to make it more flexible to be used for my online store. This needed to happen for a long time as I have recently switched my focus away from my media company & more towards my ecommerce & other business pursuits. The media company will still exist as a subsidiary, it just won’t be the parent company. Now that I’ve done made this change, I will be able to start buying wholesale from a variety of vendors & build new products!
  8. Signed up to be a Groupon merchant! I just need to enter some more company info, which I couldn’t do until I updated my company name.
  9. Researched how to make money on Medium.
  10. Researched how to become a Huffington Post contributor (until I heard they aren’t accepting new contributors anymore).
  11. Made 2 new designs to put on t-shirts, posters, etc & sell in my online store.
  12. Defined my niche (“DIVERSIFICATION”).
  13. Gathered images for my next book, which will be called “50 Adorable Moose Facts”.
  14. Realized I already HAD installed Google Analytics on my website.
  15. Networked with 1 new person.
  16. Did various promotional things for my blog posts, products, & videos.
  17. Took photos of my newest custom jean jacket so I can post it online for sale ASAP.
  18. Bought a pedometer. It was poorly designed & kept accidentally getting reset, so my mom is testing a different pedometer to see if it’s a good one for me to get.
  19. Finished reading “Crush It!” by Gary Vaynerchuck & Chicken Soup for the Soul: Think Positive for Kids book. Started reading “So Good They Can’t Ignore You” by Cal Newport & “Super Immunity” by Joel Fuhrman.
  20. Did better on exercise goals. Started running up & down the stairs in my house for a few minutes a day several days during this week. Ate more vegetables (& drank V8 juice) but still lagging behind in the veggie department. Overall, ate less sugar.

2017 Accomplishments

An overview of an outstanding year.
2017 Accomplishments - Ashlee Craft's World
It’s that time of year again! The time for me to look back + reflect upon the previous year. But it’s also time to look ahead with deep enthusiasm towards the upcoming year. (You can find my yearly poetry-prose article review of the year here).
2017 was, without a doubt, the most amazing year of my life so far. It feels so good for me to be able to say that. At the beginning of 2017, I was so hopeful that 2017 would be great. But I was also terrified that it WOULD NOT live up to my expectations & that it would be disappointing. I was much too busy at the beginning of the year & burnt-out from stress. I didn’t want the rest of the year to be like that.
But I’d also never actually had an outstanding year before. I can’t think of any other year where I GENUINELY felt like I’d made an incredible level of progress & grew as a person. Especially not a year where I felt those as much as I did by the end of 2017. For me to be able to say that 2017 was an outstanding year is incredible & amazing & wonderful for me. Being able to say that is something I’m very proud of. The year didn’t just turn out awesome on its own. Almost EVERYTHING good that happened to me last year was a direct result of my own decisions. So I’m also proud of myself for being the one making these things happen. I’m proud of myself for gaining the necessary momentum to make 2018 even more amazing.
That’s my real goal for 2018. Take everything good & amazing about 2017, & 10X those results to make 2018 the new best year of my life. Considering how 2017 turned out as great as it did, I have a lot of faith that 2018 is going to be that much better.
Here’s what I achieved in 2017:
  • CREATIVITY:

  • CONCERTS:

  • Went to an AMAZING selection of concerts. I saw 18 (!!!!!) musicians in concert, & went to my FIRST REAL CONCERT EVER:
    • Daryl Hall & John Oates (My first real concert ever! It was such an immensely positive experience that it changed my life.)
    • Tears for Fears (with Daryl Hall & John Oates)
    • Allen Stone (With Daryl Hall & John Oates)
    • Queen + Adam Lambert
    • Styx (As part of their United We Rock tour)
    • REO Speedwagon (As part of their United We Rock tour)
    • Don Felder (As part of their United We Rock tour)
    • Walk the Moon (At the 97X Next Big Thing festival)
    • Portugal. The Man. (At the 97X Next Big Thing festival)
    • Paramore (At the 97X Next Big Thing festival)
    • Vance Joy (At the 97X Next Big Thing festival)
    • X Ambassadors (At the 97X Next Big Thing festival)
    • The Lumineers (At the 97X Next Big Thing festival)
    • MisterWives (At the 97X Next Big Thing festival)
    • Bleachers (At the 97X Next Big Thing festival)
    • Saint Motel (At the 97X Next Big Thing festival)
    • Andrew McMahon & The Wilderness (At the 97X Next Big Thing festival)
    • Magic Giant (At the 97X Next Big Thing festival)
  • FOODS:

    • Ate rambutans for the first time.
    • Grew my own wheatgrass!
  • MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS:

    • Bought my dream guitar – a beautiful Fender 72′ Series Telecaster Thinline!
    • Bought my first Fender amp.
    • Bought a saxophone.
    • Got a sweet potato ocarina
    • Got a stylophone.
    • Bought a Cry Baby wah-wah pedal for my guitar.
  • PETS:

    • Got pet White Cloud Mountain Minnows, more Corydoras Catfish, & guppies for my aquarium. Also got Neon Tetras, which sadly did not work out.
  • PERSONAL:

    • Started investing in the stock market.
    • Completed my first-ever 5k! (Barktoberfest in New Port Richey, FL).
    • Became a monthly donor to the Humane Society of the United States.
    • Got a massage for the first time by Donna Joyce Foxwell.
    • Went to my first yoga class at Flow Yoga in Port Richey, FL.
    • Began learning to speak Spanish with the wonderful Duolingo app, which I highly recommend.
    • Became more of a minimalist. Got rid of my old dresser & got a great dresser alternative (article coming soon!)
    • Attended the free Dale Carnegie Public Speaking Mastery event.
    • Went to a Daymond John’s Success Formula Event.
    • Started coloring my hair red, & coloring the ends of my hair bright colors like yellow & orange.
    • Signed up for the 52 Weeks of Momentum course from Benjamin Hardy.
  • READING:

    • Read 57 books, up from only a sad, small handful in 2016.
  • TRAVEL & EXPERIENCES:

    • Went on my EPIC FLORIDA ROAD TRIP (which I wrote a book about – & that book will be out later this year!). My Epic Florida Road Trip was the first time I’ve EVER traveled by myself & the first time in my life I’ve gone on vacation. It was one of the best things I have EVER DONE. It changed me forever in the best way, & it gave me incredible confidence in my ability to take care of myself.
    • Traveled on a plane for the first time when I flew to Houston to see Queen + Adam Lambert in concert. That trip also included other firsts such as “first time renting a car” & “first time traveling outside the state of Florida by myself”.
    • Key Places I Traveled: Miami (FL), The Florida Keys, St. Augustine (FL), The Everglades, all around the state of Florida, Orlando (FL), & Houston (TX).
    • Went parasailing in Key West at Sebago Watersports.
    • Went to Zoo Miami (BEST ZOO EVER!) & saw amazing animals like tapirs, koalas, giraffes, giant tortoises, elephants, rhinoceroses, anteaters, otters, & flamingos. The zoo is 280 acres & is HUGE. It’s filled with so many amazing things.
    • Went camping for the first time! Going camping is something I always wanted to do since I was a Girl Scout (but I never got to when I was one).
    • Petted sting rays & nurse sharks (which were adorable) at Florida Keys Marine Encounters. Helped train the baby sting rays! Petted emus & a silky chicken at the Everglades Alligator Farm. Got to pet baby alligators at both places & held a baby alligator at the Everglades Alligator Farm. Held a pet skunk at the a booth at Barktoberfest.
    • Fed giraffes, a black rhinoceros, & parrots at the Miami Zoo; fed emus, Silkie Chickens, & koi at the Everglades Alligator Farm; fed sting rays, nurse sharks, tortoises, turtles, tarpon, & parrotfish at Florida Keys Marine Encounters.
    • Went snorkeling in a coral reef at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo, FL. While I was snorkeling, I saw a Caribbean Reef Shark, which was awesome but it freaked me out.
    • Stayed in a hotel by myself for the first time! (Comfort Inn, in Naples, FL).
    • Camped in the Everglades! (Read my Epic Florida Road Trip article if you want to hear about how mosquitoes taught me perseverance). Went on a 15-mile bike ride in the Everglades, which was amazing.
    • Went on an airboat ride in the Everglades at the Everglades Alligator Farm!
    • Walked down Duval Street in Key West.
    • Visited the Southernmost Point of the United States (in Key West).
    • Visited an Alligator Farm (The Everglades Alligator Farm! I got to fulfill my desire to see gators there).
    • Went to two BEAUTIFUL botanical gardens in Houston (Mercer Botanic Garden & Houston Arboretum & Nature Center).
    • Went on a “canopy walk” in Naples at Myakka Springs State Park.
    • Visited the amazing art museum, The Menil Collection, in Houston, TX. Saw art by Andy Warhol & René Magritte.
    • Visited the Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park, an outdoor sculptural water fountain in uptown Houston.
    • Visited The Galleria mall in Houston. The Galleria is the 7th largest mall in America!
    • Went to the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville.
    • Went to the Smallest Post Office, which is in Ochopee, FL (near the Everglades).
    • Saw baby armadillos foraging for food in the wild. They were one of the most precious things I’ve ever seen, & I saw them at Fort Matanzas Park in St. Augustine, FL.
    • Toured a lighthouse (The St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum).
    • Toured an ancient building (Castillo de San Marco in St. Augustine, FL).
    • Visited the Ancient Spanish Monastery in North Miami Beach, FL.
    • Rode on a miniature train, an airplane, & monorail for the first time; rode on a boat for the first time since I was a kid.
2017 had some challenges, but it had way more triumphs than challenges. I finally traveled for the very first time. I finally started going to concerts & saw some amazing bands live. I accomplished an incredible amount. I felt myself grow as a person each time I faced a challenge or setback, & each time I broke out of my comfort zone. I far exceeded my own expectations for myself in 2017. I pushed myself creativity & in my business. I finally have a clearer image of where I want to go & what I want my life to look like. I started believing all the things I desire ARE possible & out there for me. Most of all, I started trusting that I have the ability to make those things happen.
Stay posted for my 2018 goals article, which will be out soon!

“Fog – The Walls Are Not Gray Anymore” – The Ashlee Craft Show – Episode 030 – Poetry

In Episode 030, I read one of the poems from my newest poetry book, “The Walls Were Gray” titled “FOG – THE WALLS ARE NOT GRAY ANYMORE”.

FOG – THE WALLS ARE NOT GRAY ANYMORE

I floored it –
out onto the empty road –
gray mist rose up around me –
floored it –
ahead the fog cleared –
I saw the vibrant nurturing rainbow –
& the meadow where I will thrive –
non-linear joyful skip dance drive towards it –
suddenly finding myself closer to arriving –
the fog clears –
gray walls around me melt away revealing rainbows –
I am no longer confined
by my own false belief that I did not deserve to be free –
floored it & didn’t need to look back into the fog –
floored it –
away vroom vroom –
freedom, I am free finally finding it –

I KNOW WHO I NEED TO BECOME NOW

THE WALLS WERE GRAY

CHRISTMAS DAY – The Ashlee Craft Show – Episode 027 – Poetry

It’s Episode 027! I update you on some cool news – two new poetry books have been released in the past two weeks! One is called “A Ship Onto a Sea of Hope” & the other is called “The Walls Were Gray”. Links to both can be found below. On December 31, the next book in the Wonderful Wildlife series is coming out – it’s about Blobfish! Also, I’m launching three new shows in the next two weeks – “Animals with Ashlee” (a pet vlog series), “Explorations” (videos of cool travel & other experiences I have & places I go), & “The Feel-Good Life with Ashlee Craft” (videos about minimalism, health, happiness, self-sufficiency, etc).

Then, I read a poem titled “Christmas Day” from my Christmas poetry book!

CHRISTMAS POEMS

THE WALLS WERE GRAY

A SHIP ONTO A SEA OF HOPE

CHRISTMAS DAY

waking up earlier than we normally get up. It’s Christmas!

Christmas Day! the thrill of Christmas gifts fills our eyes

& we’re rushing from our rooms & heading towards the tree

brightly wrapped packages in cheerful colors with bows & ribbons around the tree

we shout with excitement

thrilled, exalted, joyous

we rush around & scarf down breakfast

we don’t want to wait another minute!

when we’re done we rush out towards the tree again

first we remove our stockings from the mantlepiece & dump them onto the floor

beautiful things spill out of them

we shout & smile thrilled by these gifts

then we move on to what’s under the tree, tearing the paper from the gifts

& being thrilled by what we see in front of us

so many dreams, so many wishes, so many hopes

coming true

Christmas Day is one of the best days of the year

the air is filled completely with happiness

& our souls are smiling

later on everyone’s in the kitchen cooking

making all the delicious things we’ll eat tonight

kind of like Thanksgiving all over again!

the delicious smell of eggnog

& main dishes & side dishes & rosemary & oregano & cinnamon

& cheesecake & everything else delicious & wonderful

filling the house;

we can’t wait to eat it all later!

then it’s Christmas Day dinner

& we all sit down at the table

the house in happy chaos

& us smiling with every cell in our bodies

we eat together

once more thankful for all that we’ve been blessed with

after dinner we talk & laugh some more

& when we go to bed that night

tired, smiling, aglow

we are so happy

for Christmas has come once more