[Holiday Voices] My Favorite Holiday Memory With Kristen Phillips

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

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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 friends. I'm Kristen. I'm a daughter of the king, a wife, a mama. Christain, teen Life coach and host of the podcast coaching for Teen Girls. I'm from Tennessee, and today I wanna share a Christmas memory, or actually a Christmas Eve memory and a tradition that has been so special to my family when I was a little girl. One of my favorite parts of the holiday season was going to church on Christmas Eve. We'd gather for a candlelight service and there was something so magical about the soft glow of the candles and the hushed voices of the congregation and the sense that we were all there for something so much bigger than ourselves. And during the service we always did a, a special reading. One that centered on Christ's lie entering the world. I remember hearing over and over how his birth paved the way for redemption. For sinners like me, and even as a child, it stirred something deep inside my heart. There was this quiet awe in the room. This shared understanding that that God's love had come down in the most humble of ways, and that we were invited into that story. As I got older, life changed and my family moved to a different church, and with that move, that particular Christmas Eve tradition slowly faded. The new church was wonderful in so many ways, but the candlelight service, the special reading, the feeling of being part of something timeless, it wasn't observed there. And I didn't realize how much I missed it until I found myself longing for that same experience for my own kids. Then a few years ago, life brought us full circle. My family made our way back to the very first church I had ever attended. Walking back into that sanctuary, it felt like coming home in more ways than one. And there it was the candlelight service. That familiar reading, the soft flicker of those little lights. It was, it was all still there. My heart. Swelled with gratitude. I realized in that moment just how precious traditions are, how they connect generations, and how God can weave a thread of continuity and hope through our lives, even across decades. This Christmas will be the third year that my little family gets to celebrate in that same beautiful way At that same beloved church. And watching my children sit in the pews holding their candles, their eyes wide with wonder, it's, it's a feeling that I can hardly put into words. I love that they get to experience the same awe, the same sense of God's light breaking into the world just like I did. For me this tradition is a beautiful reminder that no matter how life changes, God's light remains constant, and his love, his redemption, his promise, they're always there, quietly waiting to be noticed and celebrated and passed on to the next generation. So this Christmas Eve, as we light our candles and read those familiar words, I pray that you feel that same warmth and hope that fills my heart. Every Christmas Eve may cross light shine on your life. May his love remind you that you are never alone. And may the simple joys of traditions old and new, fill your home with so much peace this season. Merry Christmas friends. 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.