Cotton Reel

I teach fifteen half-hour long piano lessons every week. When a student walks in the first words out of my mouth are usually, “How did your week go?” I guess I’m hoping to hear they found time to practice, that they fixed the fingering problem in their recital piece, or that they did their theory assignment. Instead, I usually hear about how stressed their parents are, especially at this time of year. I get it, I really do. You want everything about Christmas to be perfect: the decorations, the food, the parties, the presents. But there’s only so much time and energy and money to go around. When Christmas is over, the kids won’t remember how many toys they got. They’ll remember time spent with you. Skip the elf on the shelf and watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas together, with popcorn. Bake cookies together or build a fort out of sofa cushions. Make memories. They’re cheaper. They’re priceless.