So many of us grew up in homes with the same values and beliefs, especially being taught to work hard in life. Today I still believe that is so important if you want to be successful in life. Nothing comes easy, but as I spoke with my mother last week about our previous Christmas celebrations there are some things she wishes she could have done differently.

The biggest thing she would change is working so hard leading up to the holidays. Our family (especially my parents) might have been a little extreme on this as I was the youngest of five kids and they never wanted us to go without. We always had a pile of presents to open on Christmas morning, my parents worked so hard to make that happen, even after telling us each year that this Christmas is going to be a little lighter than in years past.

When on the phone with my mom she was reminding me about 18+ hour work days she would put in at The Boeing Company and how those long hours made it possible to have Christmas, but she does feel like she missed out on a lot. We never really had time to bake Christmas cookies as a family or other festivities that other families did.

Personally, I don't fault my parents one bit. They worked their tails off to provide for us kids and always did a damn good job. We were always taken care, so a big thank you to all the parents that work so hard to provide for their kids. Just remember, presents come and go, and time is something you will never get back. Wishing you the best this holiday season!

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