My daughter and I baked gingerbread cookies today. She’d really been looking forward to this. And I kept kind of ruining it! Some of the things that popped out of my mouth:

“That’s too much sugar to lick off your hands. No–hey– Don’t ask if you can’t handle the answer.”

“Another cookie?”

“OK, what greens are you going to have?”

Oh my word, who wants to bake cookies with someone talking about greens the whole time? Especially when that person is clearly sneaking their own bites of dough. (‘Cause this recipe is really good.)

Today’s note is just a very short reminder during the holidays, for those of us who need one:

It’s OK.

You may not be as obsessed with (other people’s) sugar intake as I am, but I’m guessing you’ve got some hangup. And it threatens to collide with the true meaning of the holidays.

Now’s a good time to practice letting go. But let’s not just hide our judgments, sighs, and frowns. Let’s, as they used to say when I worked at Microsoft, embrace and extend.

“Lick your fingers? Of course! That’s the best part!”

“Give me another one of those, too, won’t you?”

“…”

I wish you happy holidays!

Love,
Tracy

Written by

Tracy Cutchlow

Tracy is the author of the international bestseller Zero to Five: 70 Essential Parenting Tips Based on Science, a public speaker, and a creator of places to speak and be heard. Sign up for her newsletter here.