something more

I’ve been reading How The Grinch Stole Christmas to my son each night. He’s fascinated with the entire story. His solve is that “the Grinch simply needs a hug or to find his Mommy.”

His words, not mine.

He’s onto something.

We get to the same page each night, where he says this. This is also the same page, where I find comfort in this specific memory of 2019.

“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so?

It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore.

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before.

What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”
― Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

2020 and the year it has been… a victory just to keep one front in front of the other. If we all knew what this year would entail… what would we have done differently? And what will we have learned from all of this? I have ten months of reflections…

I find my mind acting as a slide projector. Memories of all that was 2019 in specific. It seemed to be a rollercoaster of joy and then a sudden knee-jerk in the gut. A sudden halt. At times, waking up thinking I must have dreamt that. What a nightmare. No, it is real.

Yet, we keep going.

Last year, I took my team to the Artists Student League for a night of sketching. This establishment has been a comfort and friend to me and I wanted my magical team to experience this. Gifts would be the easy route. A large dinner, even easier. But, I wanted us to share something together. Who knew, that this very event would be one of the memories that I find one of my greatest comforts in this year. Celebrating creatives and the JOY they had painted for a brand, one another, and me. It was an extended family. This night would feel like our Christmas Dinner; ripping paper like presents, exclaiming joy with each new pose that our model so beautifully stood in. Snacking and sipping wine amongst friends, family. It was an endless sparkle of artistic energy. Colors that sparkled like a ten foot Christmas tree adorned with strands and strands of lights.

I pull out their illustrations every now and then, and can tell which designer is the artist, even if they didn’t sign it. I am going to frame them all. For my home, or my store one day. I will have these forever. I knew they were valuable and unique then. Today, their currency is undervalued and some of my favorite gifts. A time capsule of sorts.

The Grinch was right. Christmas doesn’t come from a store, it means a bit more…. A LOT MORE.

Thank you to my amazing team. Your kindness, your spirit, your unwavering passion amongst such darkness. Your light continues to move me forward, and the world.