Senior Counsel @ GE Aerospace | Commercial Real Estate Transactions, Leasing | Working Parent of 2
Holidays can be the season of magic and wonder, but that can often come at a cost. Every year as a family we do the Polar Express. The amazing people at Vermont Children’s Trust Foundation in Burlington really go all out. You get the tickets in June (!) and have to cross your fingers the kids stay healthy for that day the first weekend in December. We do the matching holiday pjs for the kids (make sure they are clean), drive the 50 mins to Burlington (it’s always terrible weather), ride the train with hot chocolate and cookies, sing/listen to carolers, high five the 100s of volunteer elves, listen to the book, and of course meet Santa and Mrs. Claus and get a bell (which gets rung, in stereo, for the full 50 min drive home). It’s an amazing way to kick off the magic of the holiday season. It’s also exhausting. While it lifts me up to see my kids experiencing the wonder of these events, I also know what it took to get there. So this holiday season don’t forget to check in with yourself. Ask for help if possible. Give yourself (and those around you) all the grace you can muster. Don’t feel bad for letting go of traditions that no longer serve you. It’s hard creating all this excitement, and requires a lot of the people engineering it. Picture of kid #2 turning Christmas tree shopping into hide and seek yesterday. Another overwhelmingly joyful albeit slightly exhausting experience. #workingparents #holidays #magiccanbeexhausting
