My 12th and final post about the joys of the holiday season. I hope you have enjoyed this little series, and thank you for tolerating my penchant for introspection (slash navel-gazing), which gets only more pronounced this time of year. I've been thinking about this post for months. The meaning of Christmas as my favorite … Continue reading 12 Holiday Joys, Joy 12 – Meaning
It may seem odd to include a post on feeling blue or depression in a series focused on joy, but the two are inextricably linked for me; especially during the holidays. I started writing this series simply knowing that my typical "blue" season after Christmas will surely come. It comes every year, sort of the … Continue reading 12 Holiday Joys, Joy 11 – Blues
I really, really, really love traditions. My husband always teases me about wanting to make everything a tradition, and if we do something that we both enjoy, he says, "NOW IT'S A TRADITION!" Tradition is comforting to me. Traditions give me something to look forward to, something to prepare for (and we all know how … Continue reading 12 Holiday Joys, Joy 10 – Traditions
I've made a real effort to start calling the time between Halloween and New Year's Eve the "holiday season," not the "Christmas season." For me it's the "Christmas season," but it is a different holiday for many others around the world. I've been thinking a lot about letting others be and honoring who others are this … Continue reading 12 Holiday Joys, Joy 9 – Others
In my previous post, I talked about my rather new-ish philosophy of giving -- one that takes the people into account, the precious nature of memories, and that is sustainable for this big beautiful planet we call home. Emphasizing experiences over things, senses over possession. What I didn't mention is that my husband does not … Continue reading 12 Holiday Joys, Joy 8 – Giving 2
There are few things I enjoy more in relationships than giving someone something that I picked out just for them, that I know (or suspect or hope) they'll love, that makes their lives a little bit brighter. I take gift-giving very seriously -- probably too seriously? OR NOT SERIOUSLY ENOUGH. My philosophy of gift giving … Continue reading 12 Holiday Joys, Joy 7 – Giving
The winter holiday season in American can be a gluttonous, slobbering, insatiable beast, feeding off of images of desirable privilege and spewing forth messages of love and happiness as codified by wealth, gain, dollars spent, and the virtue of obtaining the newest gadget simply because it's new. Oddly enough, my favorite time of year is … Continue reading 12 Holiday Joys, Joy 6 – Privilege
It feels a bit odd to write a post on books for the holidays because... well, I read year-round. All the time. And because of that, I don't get the same "seasonality" affect with books that I get with tastes and sounds. I don't have holiday books to save for this time of year like … Continue reading 12 Holiday Joys, Joy 5 – Books
Music is so much more to me than anything I can write in a silly blog post. And it is deeply wedded to my love for and immersion in the holiday season, mostly the Christmas season. (Though a South Park Hanukkah song does make the cut.) This is nothing new, but music stirs my emotions … Continue reading 12 Holiday Joys, Joy 4 – Music
So real food is awesome and all, but let's be honest -- sugar is the love language of the season. Last year a friend came over and we did a major cookie blitz of all the cookies on the platter -- mixing, baking, decorating, and taste-testing (a LOT of taste-testing, oops...). I love that aspect … Continue reading 12 Holiday Joys, Joy 3 – Cookies
