[Holiday Voices] My Favorite Holiday Memory With Sarah Michelle

This episode is part of Holiday Voices—a special Real Happy Mom podcast series filled with quick holiday tips, uplifting stories, and real-life traditions from moms who get it.

Whether you're a working mom trying to simplify the season, or just looking for ways to reduce holiday stress and be more present, these short episodes are packed with encouragement and ideas you can actually use.

Find all the episodes, links to guest freebies, and more at realhappymom.com/voices

Transcript

0:00

You are tuned in to The Real Happy Mom podcast. I'm Toni-Ann, and this is Holiday Voices. This is a special series where moms share quick tips and meaningful moments to help you trade chaos for calm and make this season a little more like you. So let's jump into today's voice. Hi, my name is Sarah Michelle and I'm from Kentucky. And the holiday memory that stands out the most to me is my daughter Meadow's. First Christmas. So this Christmas for us, well, first sounds strange for it to be the memory I chose because it really wasn't what we pictured at all. We spent that Christmas in the intensive care unit after Meadow had a major open heart surgery. And she had had that surgery the first week of December, and so she had really been sick for several weeks at that point. And that season for us was full of so much uncertainty and we were exhausted and scared and really just in that survival mode of taking things one day at a time. But on Christmas Eve, something really special happened. And Meadow smiled for the first time since her surgery. And I know this sounds really small, but after weeks of watching her fight the hill, it was just such a powerful moment for us and that one little teeny tiny baby smile told us, you know, she's still in there and she's still fighting. And it really was the moment where things started to turn a corner for her and for us. And the hospital staff made that night even more meaningful for us. In the middle of the night, Santa came by and he left gifts in her room, and she was only four months old, so she won't remember it. But for us that meant so much. Because it showed that even in a hospital setting, and even with all the fear that we had going on, there was still this incredible duality and room for joy and generosity and the reminder that people really care. And so that act really stayed with me because when you're living in survival mode. Moments of kindness like that stand out even more. And that experience with her really shaped how we look at holidays today. You know, time is so fragile and so precious. And it's so important to create space for the moments that matter most. And so one thing that we are very intentional about is we always start Christmas morning at home. We don't travel, we don't rush anywhere. We stay in our pajamas and we take our time opening presents and we really just let the morning unfold. And that's something as a tradition that I wanna keep doing as Meadow grows up. Because holding space for those quiet, meaningful moments remind us just how far that we've come. And the holidays don't have to be perfect or be busy to be special. And sometimes the simplest little memories, like a little four month old baby smiling up at you are the ones that stay with you the most. That's it for this one. It is short, sweet, and straight from the heart. And if you're loving the series, make sure you follow the show or subscribe so that you don't miss what's coming next. I'll be back again tomorrow with another one of these holiday voices. Until then, take care and with thoughts of love.