In the middle of the holiday shopping season, as we stress ourselves to the limit and run around like hamsters trying to accomplish approximately one million things, I just wanted to share with you (and myself) a reminder of what’s really important.

Last weekend, my parents and I went out to my cousin Mary’s house on Long Island to attend a family dinner and watch the local fire department Christmas parade. Every year, the firemen hang lights and other ornaments on their trucks, decorating them as elaborately as any department-store window. After the sun sets and it’s dark outside, they drive the illuminated trucks up and down the streets of the community, delighting kids and adults alike. (Disclaimer: The delight may have been partly due to the candy canes a few of them tossed at us. Never underestimate the power of sugar.) I would include a photo of the trucks, but I was too busy hooting and waving the sparklers that my cousin’s husband, Chris, had handed out earlier to bother with my camera.

Later, as we sat down to dessert (more sugar, a lot more delight), I did have the presence of mind to snap this photo of my parents. They’ve been married now for 46 years, and like any couple, they have their disagreements and arguments, but in the end, they keep their eyes on the big picture—and they go through life hand in hand.