“At Christmas all hearts Come home”

When I think about finding Christmas, making it happen in my home and sharing that with the people I come in contact with, a few things come to mind; bringing the warmth of Christmas into our home, no matter how simple that might seem, and sharing the warmth of the season with someone who might need it more than me.

This Christmas season has been chaotic, I just want to hygge (settle down by the fire and read a good book) but it just hasn’t happened yet. Our new home is kind of decorated with some hints of holiday throughout the house, but it’s very simple, there’s still sparkle in our simple though. And while I always feel like it’s not enough; not enough baking, not enough handmade decorations or not enough gifts; I’ve learned this year more than ever before that less stuff and more heart makes it a happy holiday hands down! I know this seems so clichéd and childish, but as adults I think we are sometimes the ones who have the hardest time with this. It’s ok to make less cookies and just focus on being kind.

The last few weeks have felt like a mad dash, a race to Christmas, and it’s not what I imaged it would be like at all. Then along the way, we had a racoon who decided to visit us (nesting in our attic and wreaking havoc  in our home), our oven completely broke and so did our vacuum. My plans for even trying to attempt a “perfect Christmas,”by definition, were completely derailed and we somehow fell off the “Polar Express”. I know I wrote about this recently, that idea that perfection is a myth and doesn’t really exist, but the idea of it is so hard to resist, that is until the universe pulls the emergency brakes on your train ride and you have to stop dead in your tracks.

This year as a whole has been a bit chaotic for us and I was having a hard time figuring out why. Then it dawned on me that I was trying to do a little too much. I just started working again after two consecutive mat-leaves and this was also my first Christmas back at work in two years, but somehow I forgot that this was a huge change and I might not be able to take on as much baking and decorating as I had before. But the truth is we all put too much pressure on ourselves, too many must do’s, too many must haves and too many have to get done’s all before this holiday deadline. I think everything will get done, but I’ve also learned that there are simpler ways and I’ve started to say yes to less!

As we get closer to the weekend, Christmas is literally just around the corner, I started thinking back on the past month and all of the things I hoped to accomplish and of all these things I did or did not accomplish I have to say that the Holiday with Heart event was my favourite one. To being with, our oldest son seems to have an understanding of giving because we talked about it so much and he’s seen what it looks like now. He talks about the toys that are going to the the “babies who don’t have toys” and seems to recognize something that I think he’s actually starting to teach me when he said recently, “it’s ok mama they can have that one, I have lots of toys in my toy box.”  It’s amazing how much you can teach your children by doing things, showing them and demonstrating the kind of kindness you hope they will learn from. The Holiday with Heart event was all about the joy of giving and this was so clear from the moment we started collaborating to put it together, I am so honoured to have worked with so many generous and kind people to pull it together.

It came together almost seamlessly, so many thanks to the wonderful group of people who worked with to make this event happen; including Poppys Collection (our gracious hosts), Little Moments TO (our fantastic family photographer) and Raising Artists (so thankful for these amazing teachers). We all came together quickly and with purpose, to help raise money and gather donations for The New Mom Project (a Toronto-based registered charity that provides basic baby necessities for families in need). It’s so amazing to see how much can get done and how simple it seems when you have a purpose and your goal is good.

After a hectic holiday season, I am ready to finally relax, but I am also ready to embrace this new idea; do everything with love and out of love, because only good can come from this place.