Waking up on Christmas Day
This morning I woke up eager to see if Santa had indeed enjoyed my cookies and milk, which I thought I had carefully set out for him and his posse. The truth is, as I quietly crept up the stairs towards our Christmas tree, I was shocked by what I saw. Right there, next to the tree, it was obvious that Santa had enjoyed the treats left for him. But, it was also obvious that I had not made cookies or left milk for him. Last night, I actually fell fast asleep before my husband did.
Someone remembered to leave cookies and beer for Santa
As founders of a budding startup, we’ve been working ridiculously long hours to make sure our website will be up and running today as a gift to our new users. After a day of testing bugs on the site, I was exhausted. As I nodded off to sleep, I kept thinking “Who will leave the cookies for Santa this year?” So imagine the shock (and delight) I felt in the morning when right next to the tree I spied a plate with cookie crumbs, and two empty bottles of Noche Buena Mexican beer. I stood there with my hand over my mouth and tears running down my face because in that moment I loved my husband even more. He had remembered to put out the snacks for Santa, and he had also told me the night before that maybe this year Santa would want a beer or two instead of milk. I couldn’t disagree!
Growing up, Christmas wasn’t much fun
You might wonder why Santa is so important in our household, especially considering that we have no children (yet!). Who says only kids get to claim Santa? In our home, there are no children to bake cookies with on Christmas Eve, who will wake on Christmas day eager to see if Santa licked the plate clean. But we keep our childhood sense of wonder anyway. We do this especially because for the first time in my life, I am talking about Santa and really getting to be a kid, without any limitations or fear around it. Let me explain.
Growing up, Christmas wasn’t much fun. My mom sometimes made it fun, but my dad was mean most of the time, so us kids didn’t want to spend the holidays with him. We moved a lot, and each time our plastic tree moved with us. After a while, it lost its branches and looked like a mouth with missing teeth. And, there was definitely no talk of Santa. There were no cookies to bake and no glasses of milk to fill. During college, I spent Christmas with friends because my parents house continued to be a place of little or no joy for me, so the idea of a Big Ol’ Family Christmas was just a made-for-television movie that I watched during the holidays. It was never something real.
What’s wedding planning got to do with the holidays?
When my husband first heard this, he insisted I make my first ever Christmas list. That was last year, and I so enjoyed writing a letter to Santa for the first time ever. This year, as I stared at the tipped over beer bottles and crumb filled plate, I realized that although I am happy that Santa enjoyed the treats, I was actually crying because this one gesture by my husband has given me the childhood I didn’t have. I keep asking myself why we’re working so hard to create a wedding planning platform that gives couples the online tools to plan and enjoy their wedding.
We believe in enjoying your wedding because we believe in the power of creating family
This morning, amidst our light filled tree and all the presents, I finally realized why. I’m doing this because I truly believe people should have the opportunity to enjoy one of the first major events they will create together as a new family. In the end, I am doing this because of family and the power it has to heal, protect, nourish, support, etc. For me, family has never been about gender, age, sexuality, family history or any other factors that make us (or others) believe we need to possess in order to create one.
Family has always been about choosing to bound your life up with someone else’s and create the world you wish to live in. It’s about being able to move forward despite your family history because you have another community of people waiting for you, just as you are. We’re doing this because weddings, like family, should bring joy to peoples lives, instead of fear or stress. Many couples don’t enjoy their weddings, and we want to change that. Happy Holidays to everyone and thank you for taking this journey with us.