When Everything Else Can Wait
A few months ago, I published Oliver the Owl: A Sweet Season.
It was inspired by my mom and her absolute love of Christmas—the kind of love that doesn't believe December gets exclusive rights to Christmas trees.
Mom has kept them up year-round.
In every room.
Yes, really.
So when I wrote a Christmas story about Oliver and his mom baking together, I didn't have to look very far for inspiration. The traditions, the baking, the gathering, the little things that make Christmas feel like Christmas—they came from home.
I expected to spend this holiday season promoting the book.
Life had other plans.
Why Things Have Been Quiet
If you've noticed that I've been quieter about Oliver lately, there's a reason.
In October, my mom was diagnosed with late-stage cancer.
This isn't her first fight with cancer. It's her fourth.
But this time is different.
And just like that, the things that seemed urgent a few months ago aren't very urgent anymore.
Book promotion can wait.
Social media can wait.
The never-ending list of things I think I should be doing can definitely wait.
Right now, Mom gets my time.
Christmas Has Always Been Her Season
Nobody does Christmas quite like my mom.
She bakes.
She decorates.
She feeds people.
She makes a house feel festive simply because she's in it.
Growing up, Christmas meant crowded rooms, good food, family traditions and enough sweets to ruin your appetite long before dinner.
Those traditions followed me into adulthood.
And without realizing it at first, they followed me right into A Sweet Season.
That's part of what makes this Christmas feel so significant.
I'm getting to spend it with the woman who taught me what the season feels like in the first place.
A Different Kind of December
I won't pretend this is an easy season.
There are heavy days.
There are appointments and uncertainty and all the things that come with a diagnosis nobody wants to hear.
But there is also a tremendous amount of love here.
We're talking.
We're laughing.
We're making memories.
We're doing our best to make this Christmas special without pretending everything is normal.
Maybe that's something Mom has taught me too.
You don't wait for life to become perfect before you celebrate the people you love.
You celebrate them while they're right there beside you.
Oliver Can Wait
I've spent much of this year learning what it means to become an author.
I've written books, met families, attended events, experimented with new ideas and watched this little owl become something much bigger than I expected.
I'm proud of all of it.
And I'm excited about where Oliver goes next.
But he can wait for me.
That's one of the unexpected gifts of creating something of your own.
It will still be there when you're ready to come back.
Right now, there's somewhere else I need to be.
The Heart of the Holidays
This Christmas probably won't look exactly like the ones I remember from childhood.
That's okay.
Because I'm realizing more than ever that the heart of the holidays was never really the cookies, the decorations or even those Christmas trees that refused to acknowledge the existence of January.
It was the people.
It was Mom.
So this year, I'm keeping Christmas simple.
More time together.
More conversations.
More laughter.
More moments I don't need to photograph or post or turn into content.
Just us.
If things stay a little quiet around here for a while, that's why.
I'm exactly where I need to be.
Merry Christmas from our family to yours.
—Rayna
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