Joanna Gaines is making room for more than picture-perfect holiday celebrations this year. The “Fixer Upper” star is reflecting on the importance of appreciating the quieter moments that can easily get overlooked during the excitement of the season.
In the Winter 2026 issue of Magnolia Journal, Gaines, 48, explores the balance between creating memorable family traditions and allowing herself to enjoy the unexpected moments along the way. PEOPLE got an exclusive first look at the issue and her editor’s note, in which she shares how her perspective on the holidays has evolved.
Joanna Opens Up About Her Traditions
“As the gatekeeper of our family traditions — aiming to do the same things we always have, if not bigger and better — I love the ‘dressing up’ that’s encouraged and natural this time of year. Finding fresh delight in the way we decorate our home,” she writes.
For Gaines, the season is an opportunity to make everyday surroundings feel special. She enjoys adding thoughtful details to her home and creating experiences that her family can look forward to year after year. But she also recognizes that the pressure to make everything bigger and better can sometimes take attention away from what matters.
The mother of five says she has often focused on creating standout experiences that her children will remember well into adulthood.
“Trying to create standout experiences that my kids will remember and tell their kids about someday,” she writes.
Gaines shares sons Drake, 21, Duke, 18, and Crew, 8, and daughters Ella, 20, and Emmie, 16, with husband Chip Gaines. While she loves giving her children special holiday memories, she has also learned that some of the most meaningful experiences are the ones that never make it into a photograph.
Her Favorite Memories
“Maybe there’s no physical evidence they happened at all, except for the fact that you were there — and you felt it. It’s these softer moments that give us life and ground us in presence. The days that held no agenda, the mornings I took slow, the smiles you won’t see in my camera roll because I was simply bearing witness,” she writes.
That realization has encouraged Gaines to give ordinary experiences the same appreciation she gives more elaborate celebrations. She explains that both the carefully planned festivities and the imperfect moments deserve to be remembered.
“Here’s what I’m holding onto this season: All of these moments deserve a place on the walls of my heart and mind. All of them hold beauty worth reveling in. All of them are cause for celebration,” she shares.
Although the idea of appreciating life’s simple pleasures might seem obvious, Gaines admits that it has not always come naturally to her.
“Maybe you already love the rise and fall of the season, how it ebbs and flows between hustle and rest, work and play, merry and quiet,” she writes. “But for me, it’s not always natural to behold the seemingly ordinary or subdued moments in the same regard as the bright and beaming ones.”
Her message offers a reminder that holiday memories do not have to come from elaborate decorations, carefully planned gatherings or perfectly captured family photographs. Sometimes, the moments that stay with a person longest are the ones that happen without a plan.
As the holiday season approaches, Gaines is embracing both sides of the experience: the traditions she loves creating and the quieter moments that make those celebrations meaningful. This year, she wants to remember it all.
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