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Why We Stopped Going House to House for the Holidays

We hit a breaking point. We were so tired of rushing from house to house; we had truly begun to dread holidays. It was time to make a change for our family.

WATCH: Hobby Lobby Lights Up Mom Hearts With Viral Christmas Ad

Has Hobby Lobby entered the world of emotionally persuasive holiday short-form cinema? It would certainly seem so! And their Christmas ad effort is 100% geared toward what is undoubtedly their most loyal customer: busy (exhausted, out-of-time) moms.

“This Christmas I Want Food”: What These Foster Kids Want For Christmas Is Heartbreaking

None of them asked for this year’s hottest toy, or another video game to add to their collection. No, the children who filled out these tags listed their “innermost dreams”—things that should be part of everyone’s childhood.

“Hey Friend, I’m Coming Over. Please Don’t Clean Up. Don’t Dress Up. Please Just BE.”

Please don’t judge me when I spend our time together convincing you not to give a fudge.

Hey Friend, I’m coming over.

Please feel free to whine. Please feel free to wine. If you need to whine, I’m all ears. If you need to wine, I’ll bring a bottle.

Hey Friend, I’m coming over.

And, I’m coming over to support, help, empathize and entertain. I’m not coming over to speculate, assess, criticize or mock.

Hey Friend, I’m coming over.

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Please don’t freeze up. Please don’t clam up. Please just BE. Please allow me to do the same.

Hey Friend, I’m coming over.

So, get ready to answer your freakin’ door, and you better not be wearing anything other than leggings, a messy pony, yesterday’s make-up, compassion and grace.

And, you’ll know it’s me because, well, I’ll be rocking the same.

**This article was written by Nicole Merritt of JThreenme. See more from her at JThreenme.com or connect with her on Facebook

Nicole Merritt
Nicole Merritt
Nicole Merritt is a mother of three, a freelance writer, co-host of I Am The Worst Parent Ever Podcast and the Owner and Founder of jthreeNMe; an imperfectly authentic peek at real-life marriage, parenting, and self-improvement. jthreeNMe is raw, honest, empowering, inspiring, and entertaining; it’s like chicken soup for those that are exhausted, over-stressed and under-inebriated, yet still utterly happy. Nicole's work has been featured by NBC's TODAY Show, Love What Matters, Scary Mommy, The Good Men Project, Elephant Journal, CafeMom, Popsugar, Motherly & many others. You can follow Nicole at jthreeNMe.com and as @jthreeNMe on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram & Twitter!

Why We Stopped Going House to House for the Holidays

We hit a breaking point. We were so tired of rushing from house to house; we had truly begun to dread holidays. It was time to make a change for our family.

WATCH: Hobby Lobby Lights Up Mom Hearts With Viral Christmas Ad

Has Hobby Lobby entered the world of emotionally persuasive holiday short-form cinema? It would certainly seem so! And their Christmas ad effort is 100% geared toward what is undoubtedly their most loyal customer: busy (exhausted, out-of-time) moms.

“This Christmas I Want Food”: What These Foster Kids Want For Christmas Is Heartbreaking

None of them asked for this year’s hottest toy, or another video game to add to their collection. No, the children who filled out these tags listed their “innermost dreams”—things that should be part of everyone’s childhood.