Originally Posted on Jan. 3, 2022

My niece has the biggest heart at her young age. Callie created a formal invitation for Disney’s “Encanto” and posted it on the front door—so I saw it as soon as I arrived at her house. In the living room was a table covered with packs of snacks, and a giant Ty Beanie Baby giraffe was seated on one side of the couch, alongside a burrito blanket. Callie handed me the bowl of popcorn as Mary went to the kitchen and came out with even more snacks. It’s these cozy nights—with the sweaters, dimpled smiles, and fingers coated in salt and butter—that I replay in my mind when I’m far away and hours ahead.