When we shifted our focus from doing more to doing less during the holiday season, it became clear that our heart was in the celebration of Advent rather than the ticking off of days in December. We slowed down, cherished small moments and let go of doing more than we could handle. I’ve always loved […]
Happy Thanksgiving! Feeling all kinds of gratitude this Thanksgiving for dear friends, a loving family and a safe beautiful place to all home. Each year as a family, we put together baskets to bring Thanksgiving Dinner to 3 local families. It’s a small, but mighty gesture when life gets hard. Having the tough discussions with […]
Counting down the 26 days of Advent with a children’s book each night has become the heart of our family’s Advent Tradition. Before Advent begins, I select enough Christmas books to read one together every night of Advent. After individually wrap each book, I place them in a basket. Each night of Advent our children […]
A few years ago I encouraged my family to think about ways they can spread the Christmas spirit throughout their days during the month of December. We brainstormed a list of fun and easy ways we could share kindness to people around us even if we didn’t know them. Some of my thoughts on the […]
Our Christmas jammies are a fun little tradition we’ve been doing since my 12 year old was born. On the first night of Advent, we gift our children a pair of new Christmas jammies. It’s on of the few ways in which my kids will tolerate coordinating clothes. I draw the line at the kids […]
As Advent approaches, I begin to organize myself for the Christmas season. I make lists and plans, think about friends to gather with and family with whom we share sweet memories. I remind myself to stay focussed on family and faith when the hurriedness of the holidays falls upon us and I spend time reflecting on […]
Thanksgiving Style This weekend is our last busy weekend before we cocoon ourselves for two cozy weekends together celebrating Thanksgiving with family and friends. I can hardly wait to be in the cabin with a fire going, games playing, food simmering and hopefully snow falling. So for now, this weekend is busy tying things up and […]