It's Core Memory Season

This Christmas, be a player and not a manager

Christmas Eve Eve hit different when I was a kid.

Not because it was Christmas, but because everything felt like it was about to change. The whole house would shift into this in-between zone. Cousins pulling up. Bags by the door. That specific brand of chaos that only happens once a year.

My kids get it now too. They can feel it. That liminal space thing. It’s not just the cookies or the presents. It’s the threshold energy. Like standing at the edge of something bigger than today.

Inside Out nailed this with core memories. Those moments that stick. The ones that become part of who your kid is and how they see the world. Not every memory becomes a core memory. But places like home and times like this weekend are absolutely loaded with potential for them.

You’ve got four full days to work with this special stuff.

The key is being in it. Not observing. Not scrolling. Not thinking about Monday morning. Actually being present while your kid shows you their hundredth cartwheel, asks you to play a silly game, or wants to watch Elf again.

I’ve written about the Dad hat and the Coach hat before, and the Christmas season is all about putting on the kid hat again.

Follow their lead. Jump into their excitement instead of managing it from the sidelines. Hot chocolate and a movie marathon. Building something ridiculous.

So whatever they’re fired up about, get fired up with them. That’s how core memories happen.

Here for the journey,

Matt “Christmas Eve Eve” Ragland