Debra Mugnani

• Enjoying an afternoon holiday party where there is laughter and good humor over a cup of eggnog, cookies and savory treats.
• Lighting a candle and taking a few moments to sit and quietly reflect on the all the wonderful performances I’ve been a part of this year.
• Sitting around the dining room table with good friends sharing dreams and stories with hot soup, bread and cheese on a rainy evening.
• Spending an afternoon at a tree farm in Pescadero with old friends making holiday wreathes, picnicking, roasting marshmallows, and getting on a wooden swing hung from giant Eucalyptus trees and swinging up to see the view of the Pacific Ocean.
• Enjoying a festive night at the Sausalito Cruising Club with many of my dear friends in the audience. Feeling the barge brim with holiday cheer.

(marshmallows roasting on an open fire…)

What, to you, are the true gifts of this season? As I consider this question, I realize that for me, the season’s gifts are not about the striving for perfection in baking or decorations, it is mostly about time connecting with new or old friends and family. So as I go into the final stretch of 2012, I think I’m going to just lighten up on my unrealistic expectations for what I think I need to do, or would like to do and focus on enjoying the times I have with the people I care about and the rest will fall into place on its own, it always does.