Home for the Holidays

Why This Season Always Reminds Me About Where We Live

The holiday season has a way of softening everything.

The pace slows, the light changes, and we become more aware of the spaces we live in and the people we share them with. We notice where we gather, how we rest, and what it truly means to feel at home.

This year, those reflections feel especially personal to me.

This is my first holiday season fully in my home. We purchased it last December, but instead of moving in right away, we spent six weeks renovating before settling in. It was a season of planning and imagining—living in possibility before living in the space. Now, a year later, the home feels complete in the ways that matter most.

This season is also special because of who will be here.

My mother-in-law is traveling from the Dominican Republic to spend the holidays with us. Preparing our home for her arrival has reminded me that hospitality isn’t about perfection—it’s about intention. About creating a space that feels warm, welcoming, and open. A place where distance fades and connection takes center stage.

I don’t have immediate family members living nearby, and during the holidays that absence can feel more noticeable. But this year, it’s balanced by joy. My sister will be spending her first holiday season in her new home in Miami—her very first home. Watching her step into that chapter has been incredibly meaningful. There is something unforgettable about realizing a space is truly yours, and that you are building a life within it.

These moments are what give a home its meaning.

Not the square footage.
Not the finishes.
But the life unfolding inside.

The holidays remind us that where we live shapes how we connect—to ourselves and to others. A home doesn’t need to be perfect to be powerful. It simply needs to support the life you are living and the memories you are creating.

A Dedication

This post is dedicated to all my first-time homebuyers I had the privilege of working with this year.

Congratulations on accomplishing something you once may have only dreamed of. May your first holiday season in your first home be as special and rewarding as you ever hoped it would be.

I resonate deeply with this milestone. I never imagined homeownership would be possible for me, and every time I work with a first-time buyer, I relive that same joy—the pride, the disbelief, and the quiet moment of realizing you did it.

Your journey is worth celebrating, and your home is only the beginning.

As the year comes to a close, I’m holding space for gratitude—for family near and far, for new beginnings, and for the comfort of a place that feels like home.

Wishing you a holiday season filled with warmth, connection, and a home that supports the life you’re building.

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