This December, I’m Handing Out Permission Slips

December 15, 2025

It’s that time of year again—when our calendars fill faster than our coffee mugs and we somehow decide this is the month we need to do all the things. So I figured it’s the perfect moment to hand out some permission slips. Not the school kind—those were for field trips and early dismissals. I mean the grown-up kind. The kind that lets you take a breath, drop the guilt, and choose what actually matters. 

And honestly? This is something I’m reminding myself of, too. As I’m writing my next book and thinking about what it really means to live in a way that feels full and honest, I’m realizing how much of life (and especially the holidays) becomes lighter the moment we give ourselves permission to slow down.

We put so much pressure on ourselves to make the holidays “perfect.” It shows up as this gentle, almost invisible tug in the back of our minds, urging us to do just a little more.  There are lists to tackle, errands to run, gatherings to attend—and that familiar weight of expectations from others (and from ourselves) shows up right on cue.  It’s so easy to lose ourselves in the hustle and bustle.

So here it is… your permission slip.

Allow yourself to do less, to rest more, and to choose what actually matters. Give yourself:

• Permission to buy cookies instead of baking them

• Permission to wear cozy sweaters on repeat

• Permission to decline that extra holiday event

• Permission to take a nap even if the to-do list is long

• Permission to let the wrapping paper be wrinkled

And remember this–slowing down doesn’t mean missing out–it means being more present.

You deserve a holiday season that feels like yours—not one built on expectations or “shoulds.” Give yourself permission to slow down, savor the moments, and create a little more calm in the middle of the chaos. You’re allowed to make this season as soft, simple, and beautiful as you need it to be. 

-Laura

Live Fully.  Love Deeply.  Laugh Often.