We celebrate every little thing in this family, and I absolutely love it. We find every reason to have celebrations in our family, complete with a favorite homemade meal and usually a family movie.

It all started on May 4, 2020. We were a month and a half into the pandemic. School was only supposed to be closed for two weeks, which then got extended until April, and then came the announcement that school would be closed until the end of the school year.

My kids were devastated. I was devastated.

My kids needed a win.

They needed something worth celebrating after the utter devastation of not being back with their teachers and friends.

Our whole family needed a win.

My husband and kids love Star Wars, so my husband suggested celebrating May 4th – may the fourth be with you. Not being a Star Wars fan, I thought it was the silliest thing, but my kids needed something to celebrate. They needed something silly.

We all did.

I mixed up pancake batter, and my husband pulled out the griddle, grabbed his phone to look up Star Wars pancake designs, and we were off.

He made one iconic image after the other, complete with oohs and ahhs from the kids. They had a blast. We all did.

It was exactly what we needed, and here we are, years later, still looking forward to celebrating this silly “holiday.” And I absolutely love it.

Our family looks for the simplest things to celebrate, and it makes my heart swell. Even when life is crappy and things aren’t going as expected, there’s still something to celebrate.

Sometimes you have to look a little harder for it. Sometimes you have to do something that feels silly to others (or yourself). Sometimes you have to create your own family holidays, but there’s beauty in celebrating the small things.

There’s beauty in the simplicity of this life.

We don’t need to wait for a birthday or a mainstream holiday. We can celebrate the ordinary, the things that make us happy.

We’re so glad we do.