I never intended on decorating for Christmas this year. In fact, I planned on skipping the holidays all together – Christmas with the Kranks style. But when my friends at Scotties asked if I’d partner with them on a second blog post, this time featuring winter-themed boxes designed by Genevieve Gorder, I couldn’t say no.

So on November 4th I (along with most of the other content creators on social media) began trimming my tree. A tree that would no longer have presents underneath it for Mom or Opal. As I hung two ornaments on its branches to honor them, the weight of their absence felt magnified by the glow of the twinkling Christmas lights. And for the first time in months, I cried – big, inconsolable, heaving sobs that I had yet to let out since Mom passed in July. I had wondered where those tears were, why they took so long to come, and what that meant about my grief. Instinctively, I reached for a tissue and I knew… Scotties was going to help me as I healed through the holidays.