We walked into the living room, and the sight was atrocious. Brown everywhere. Carpet ruined. Mom was equally dumbfounded and angry. What was once light beige carpet was now stained beyond recognition with homemade hot fudge. While we were gone with family, the dog had gotten into the gifts under the tree. He sniffed out the ones with hot fudge and there was no turning back. Being Christmas Eve, we had no options for carpet cleaning. Mom found an old bed sheet and laid it over the giant fudge stains. The mess would be dealt with later. Talk about your white trash Christmas. We got up the next morning to celebrate Christmas. I don't remember who got what. I don't even remember how old I was. I do, however, remember the jokes about the sheet over the carpet and how it must look. I also remember that our Christmas was far from ruined. The stained carpet couldn't dent our Christmas spirit or our time together as a family. In the end, it didn't really matter at all.

We did eventually get our carpet cleaned, although I can't remember how long we had to leave the sheet down. That story still comes up from time to time at family gatherings. "Remember the year Beej got into the fudge?" And mom still makes that hot fudge every year. It's the most delicious thing I think I've ever tasted. She's smarter about where she stores it between making it and gifting it now, though. (Ha! Only takes once.) We've all had those moments, those memories. The ones where things took a drastic turn in an unexpected direction. The one where chaos seemed to win.

Christmas is naturally a chaotic time. This year has felt especially chaotic in my life for so many reasons. Working for a church adds a whole extra layer to the chaos of the season as we prepare for Christmas Eve service. I can only imagine the pandemonium of having children running around on top of everything else this time of year. But I can also imagine the blessing of it. The incredible joy that comes with watching your kids as they learn the true meaning and reason for Christmas.

Last week I shared a little bit about some Christmas minis I did with an organization, and I wanted to share a few more photos from those minis. These families were so sweet to work with. The kids had a sparkle in their eyes. There was one child though who did not want to smile. At all. Learning to flourish in the chaos is a part of life, and especially a part of photography. Things don't go as planned. Life throws curveballs. But in the midst of it all, there is so much beauty and so much peace to behold. If only you know where to look.