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Dear Holiday Child,

I am so glad to meet you here and welcome you into my heart and home this New Year’s Eve.  I don’t know if I’ll be able to stay awake until Midnight, but will certainly try!  I may not know you, but I’m sharing with you all the love I have for my own little daughter.  She turns four in just a few weeks and I am so proud of her emerging brilliant, shining being. I hope you, my adopted holiday child, can feel that pride and acceptance extended to you.

I am very lucky to live just a block from the beach and so have access to the wonderful ocean year round, no matter the weather.  On the last day of the year, I love to bundle up and walk down at low tide.  I hope you can see yourself with me and my daughter, outside in the powerful wind and breathing deep the salt air.  We can walk and talk while she jumps in puddles and picks up little hermit crabs.  The presence of the water in winter is just amazing.  My adopted child, my loved one, I hope you can see yourself as a part of this ritual.  I know it’s all the better for you having been here. Continue reading →

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Dear Adopted Holiday Child,

It can be hard to know what to say to someone who doesn’t have support from their family over the holidays. My own daughter has been pretty lucky for the most part. She always knew, because I told her repeatedly, that I didn’t care who she loved, as long as they loved her back. I used to tell her, “Boy, girl, purple alien, whoever,” and though it came to be a sort of family in-joke, she knew deep inside that I meant it. Others of her peer group weren’t so lucky, and I saw the negative results of family or friend rejection firsthand more than once.

Maybe you’ve experienced some of that yourself. I can’t erase that memory from your brain, though I wish I could. Maybe you’re feeling some of that rejection from your family, or coworkers, or people you thought were your friends right now. So let me tell you this: You really do have people out here who love you. You matter, especially to me. I know what it means to be lonely in a room full of laughing people, and right now, at this very moment, while you’re reading this, I am thinking about you and wishing I could make hugs into something tangible I could send through the Internet.  Continue reading →

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Happy Holidays!

I’m Sherri, Your Holiday Mom. This is my favorite time of year.  It’s a time of reflection and appreciation for all that I’ve been blessed with.  One of those blessings is my 20-year-old son, Andrew. He came out when he was 15. I held him as he cried that night, and I remember thinking how incredibly brave I thought he was, and how proud I was of him for being who he was meant to be. I want you to know that I think you too are brave, and I’m proud of you for being who you were meant to be. For standing up to those who choose not to accept you. This is truly their loss.

I realize that it’s not easy for you to be who you are because of the ignorance that plagues the world we live in. But I say to you, never lose hope. Never lose faith. Know that while you may feel alone sometimes, you are never alone. There are people that love and support you. There are people that know and understand your daily struggles and want you to know that you are strong enough to overcome these struggles. You may not know them personally, but they exist. I’m proof of that.  Continue reading →

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Dearest Adopted Loved One,

I’m so glad to be standing in as your holiday mom this year! Although I can’t imagine what your life is or how it can be that any child would live in fear or reality of being rejected because of who you are, what I can fully imagine is our hearts coming together in the spirit of love. Thank you for letting me be a part of your holiday.

I’d like to tell you a little bit about my connection to the LGBTQ community. My daughter Lauren is 19 and lives openly as a lesbian. She knew she was different along the way, mostly because she always preferred to buy her clothes from the boys’ department rather than shop for girl clothes. As her mom, I noticed little things over the years that indicated she was outside the perceived ‘norm.’ When Lauren was 16, while our entire family was gathered (grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, her dad and me), she nervously came and said she wanted to tell us something and went on to share that she’s a lesbian. There wasn’t a moment of hesitation before her family began offering their love and support. I won’t say she doesn’t still have struggles, because she does. Our society hasn’t yet decided to fully integrate those who appear to be so ‘different.’ But I have full confidence things are changing and we’ll see dramatic shifts in our lifetime.  Continue reading →

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Warm Greetings to My Adopted Holiday Child,

The cookies have been baked and the fudge is cooling in the pans. The tins are lining the counter awaiting packing with colored tissue and my signature (store bought) sticky bows. Christmas tunes are blasting!

I’ll need your help this year to complete the scene. I know you can’t really be here, but I’d love it if we could IMAGINE that you are…  Continue reading →