Of course, we all want the standard Christmas wishes: peace, joy, happiness, good health, and maybe a little less chaos in the world. That goes without saying.
But when the Defender staff and I started talking about what we’d really want on our Christmas lists—beyond the surface-level wishes—it got deeper. More honest. More human.
So outside of peace, joy, and happiness, here’s what I’m really asking Santa (and the universe) for this year.
1. It Was All a Dream
I want to wake up on December 26 and realize that 2025 was some elaborate social experiment. A fever dream. A group project gone wrong.
And the big reveal? Kamala Harris was actually elected president.
That somehow, competence, class, intelligence, education, representation, and steady leadership mattered more than snake oil salesmen tactics, racism, sexism and misogynism. Let me open my eyes, check the news, and realize we course-corrected in time.
That’s the dream.
2. An 820 Credit Score
Let me be honest: I didn’t grow up learning about credit. Nobody sat me down and explained how it works, why it matters, or how it can quietly shape your entire future.
Everything I know, I taught myself—through trial, error, late fees, hard lessons, and a lot of Googling. And while I’ve come a long way, my Christmas wish isn’t just about my credit score.
I wish our community understood the power of credit from the moment we earned our first dollar. Because credit isn’t just about buying things—it’s about access, options, and freedom.
3. Everyone to Preorder With Love From Harlem
Yes, I’m asking. Boldly. As a Black author navigating a world full of people who’d spend more time scrolling than reading, you have no idea how much this is needed.
Preorders matter more than people realize. They tell publishers there’s interest. They influence marketing budgets, bookstore placement, media attention, and long-term visibility—especially for Black authors.
With Love From Harlem is a labor of love, legacy, and history. Preordering isn’t just supporting a book; it’s supporting the stories we keep fighting to have seen, valued, and preserved.
So yes. That’s on my list.
4. A life pause button
I need someone in Silicon Valley to get on this immediately.
As a workaholic, I wish there were a button I could press that would pause life—emails, deadlines, expectations, everything—so I could rest, catch up, breathe, and just be.
Right now, my husband is the closest thing to that button. He’s the one who reminds me to slow down, sit still, and remember that rest isn’t a reward—it’s a requirement.
But a literal pause button? That would be a Christmas miracle.
5. To catch my father’s killer
This one is not meant to invoke sorrow.
My father would be the first to say, “Don’t weep for me—I lived a good life.” And he did. He loved to laugh, tell stories, make people smile, and make his family proud.
But grief is complicated. And there’s a particular kind of heaviness that comes with not knowing the who, what, or why—especially when someone’s life is taken senselessly.
I understand that we all have a time to live and a time to leave. I’ve made peace with that. What’s harder to make peace with is the unanswered questions. There’s a healing that remains stalled when closure never comes.
So yes, I want justice—but more than that, I want healing. For myself, and for every family still waiting for answers.
This year, my Christmas list isn’t wrapped in bows. It’s wrapped in hope, honesty, and the belief that naming what we truly want is a powerful first step toward getting it. (Though, I don’t really think we’ll ever find out 2025 was all a dream….but hopefully, prayerfully we will wake up from this nightmare in 2028).
