Dear Mom,

Every year it seems as though you work harder and harder to make the holidays special for me and JP. From the care you put into making sure the garland is just right on our banister to the batches of hot chocolate you make with mounds of whipped cream, I just want you to know that your actions are not unnoticed, and you are the reason why Christmas is my favorite day of the year.

Decorating the tree is something I look forward to every year, especially as I grow older and use the ornaments as a way to look back on all of the places we have gone and experiences we have shared. I know I sometimes complain about not being able to reach the right bough, and I often have to cut our time short because I selfishly want to watch television instead. But never underestimate the power of you spending time with me to do this tradition every year. It is something I genuinely look forward to and believe brings our family together.

Then there is sugar cookie decorating. I know when I was younger, I stressed you out by pouring too much sugar on the pan, and sometimes I left the dough too thick or rolled it so thin that the edges burned. But now that I am older, I have the technique down, and my cookies are getting better every year (although never as good as your own). Perhaps one of my favorite days of the year is whenever we make the dough, pull out our favorite cookie cutters, and spend hours making silly shapes and sprinkling sugary designs. JP's mutant gingerbread men and deranged snowmen never fail to make us all laugh, and there is nothing better than sitting down at the end of the day and dunking one of the cookies that we made together in a tall mug of coffee.

And I cannot forget about your thoughtfulness in picking out all of our gifts. You know exactly what style clothes I like, all of my favorite makeup brands, and little gadgets and gizmos that I didn't even know I needed at all! You wrap each present as if each fold and bow were its own work of art, and I never even want to unwrap anything on Christmas morning because you make the final products so beautiful. You even give us a pre-Christmas gift every Christmas Eve with pajamas to wear that night. Although something so simple, you never fail to make me smile when I slip into my green and red plaid, snowflake-printed, or wintry designed nightgown or shirt and pants set. I go to sleep dreaming of how safe and loved I feel, and how I cannot wait to share Christmas morning with you.

I know sometimes you feel under-appreciated, and I know that we do not say "thank you" or "I love you" enough. But please know that especially during the holidays, your actions do not go unnoticed. I see you spending hours wrapping gifts for everyone from me to your parents to cousins who live in California. I watch you place each ornament and candy cane so precisely around the house, so that nothing looks crooked or out of place. I love seeing your face light up to the sound of Michael Bublé's winter album, and I love it even more when you sing along with him in our living room as you recreate the island of Misfit Toys from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Every single action, every single detail, is absolutely incredible, and I am so grateful to have you as my mother who does all of this every year for us from the goodness of her heart.

While you have bought me such amazing gifts this year, and as usual I woke up on Christmas morning ecstatic to see what "Santa" brought me, the only gift I really need is to spend time with you. You are my inspiration, my angel, my best friend, and your presence is all I could ever want or need this holiday season.

I love you so much, mom, and I cannot wait to spend more time with you over the next few weeks. Thank you for making Christmas everything I could have asked for. I hope some day to be more like you.

Je t'aime toujours.

Your baby girl, Abriana