The Christmas Tradition That Started by Accident

What if the moments that shape our families are not the big, orchestrated ones at all, but the small, imperfect, wildly joyful ones that happen on an ordinary Saturday night? What if connection is possible even when you live oceans apart?

This is the story of how a simple idea during a hard year turned into one of the sweetest traditions of my life.

Gran’s Zoom Christmas Party: The Tradition I Never Expected to Love

It was dark outside and the tiny white lights around my window made everything feel twinkly and magical. I sat down for our 6th annual Gran’s Zoom Christmas Party just before we started, and I found myself drifting back to where it all started in 2020. The year everything felt upside down.

The grans were so little then.
The Vanuatu crew, Ella, Katie, and Rob, were just 6, 5, and 4, squeezed into toddler-sized chairs and sharing one Zoom square. Avery and Andy in Davis were 7 and 5. We were masked and distanced, trying to make the holidays feel like something other than loss.

I didn’t know if a Zoom Christmas party would work, but I was determined to bring us together. Grandmothers have a way of doing that.

And to my surprise, it became magic.

They dashed around on a Christmas color treasure hunt.
Ella, island girl through and through, raced back holding a bright red hibiscus.
They giggled through the pop-in/pop-out game, popping back onto the screen to answer questions like, "Pop in if you like candy canes."

Somehow, they all sat quietly while I read the Christmas story.

We ended the party dancing to Mariah Carey’s "All I Want for Christmas Is You", reaching across oceans and a pandemic to love each other the only way we could.

I still get choked up when I hear that song.

Six Years Later...A New Kind of Magic

This past Saturday, we met again for our 6th annual Zoom Christmas party.
Now with more grans joining the fun. Little Erik at 4, Louise at 2, and baby Tristan at 11 months.

Everyone except the littles had their own device and their own Zoom window, their faces lighting up the screen like ornaments on a digital tree.

This year, I invited the older kids to lead an activity. I wanted to give them the experience of guiding us. Helping them grow confidence is a quiet passion of mine.

And oh, did they rise.

Avery, at 12, explained her game with the clarity of a seasoned teacher.
Ella decorated her space into a tropical Christmas wonderland and came prepared with Would You Rather questions.
Katie played snippets of Christmas songs so we could guess the title, full prep mode.

Watching them lead made me see the future right there on my screen. Young humans stepping into confidence simply because someone believed they could.

I brought new pop-in/pop-out prompts, and the kids, and even the dads in the background, jumped in and out of their little boxes like they were five again.

Pop in if you have ever had a crush.
Pop in if you remember going down the water slides in Fiji.
Pop in if you love being part of this family.

Breakout rooms were a flop this year. After six years, I have learned just to let technology be what it is and keep the fun going.

At the end, everyone shared something they were grateful for.
I said I was grateful for our health.
Ella said she was grateful that we all get along. Everyone said they were grateful for their family and their cousins. 

That got me.

Despite living in two different cultures and only seeing each other occasionally, they feel like a true tribe.

And of course, we ended the way we always do. Dancing wildly to "All I Want for Christmas Is You."  That song has become our theme song for Christmas. 

Why I Am Sharing This and Why It Matters

Sometimes I wonder why I post stories like this. They feel personal and tender. They are not polished or complicated.

But here is what I want women to know.

You can bring your family together even when life pulls everyone miles apart.
You can create rituals that have nothing to do with buying things.
You can build confidence in your kids and grandkids by giving them chances to lead.
You can teach gratitude in the simplest moments.
You do not have to wait for a pandemic or a holiday.

Connection is possible even on an ordinary night.
Even when you are busy.
Even when life feels full.

I want people to read this and think, I wish I could have been at that party. Not because it was fancy, but because it was full of what so many of us are craving: Joy. Meaning. Family. Belonging.

After we ended the call, I sat in silence with my hand over my heart, feeling how quickly they grow. Feeling grateful for this ritual. Feeling lucky that my life includes these tiny, extraordinary humans.

This is my Christmas gift every year.
Everything I could ever wish for.

OVER TO YOU

If you are craving more connection, more meaning, and more ways to create moments that matter, you are in the right place. I help women trust themselves, create rituals that nourish them, and build lives that feel rich with purpose.

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