I remember when I used to count the days until Christmas – Now, I count my blessings!
The day after Thanksgiving is considered by many to be the official start of the Christmas season but, for me, it’s a time of reflection and a time to be grateful for all that is good in life. And my mantra these days is “cherish the simple things” as I seek and find blessings in everyday circumstances.
Beyond the crowded malls and frenzied shopping, far away from the hustle and bustle of the season, there is peace and simple beauty all around us, if we only choose to see it. The stillness of a December dawn, the flash of a red cardinal through evergreen boughs, the sparkle of frost on fallen leaves – all so simple and common in their occurrence that they are easily overlooked and, yet, so stunningly beautiful that they can stop us in our tracks.
And what is more precious than the warm embrace that greets us as we open the door to loved ones, the prayer of thanks murmured as we gather around the table for dinner, the laughter we share together. These are my blessings, the most prized of all gifts!
Wishing the wonderful people in my life, and my dear readers, all the simple blessings life has to offer!
As I write this blog, it’s dark, raw and rainy outside, typical of this time of year. Inside the house, I try to ignore the gloom surrounding me, focusing instead on what’s good about the season; and there is so much good to think on, when I take the time to look a little deeper.
Over the weekend, I put up some solar twinkle lights on my garden trellis. This was such an easy task and yet it cheered me with the prospect of gazing out my kitchen window at night and seeing this simple structure light up the darkness. I was giving my garden a special adornment, a sparkling cloak in honor of the floral beauty it brought me this past season. Adding this glimmer of light to the outside was also a nod to the coming of winter, to moving inside and basking in the warm comforts of home.
Leaving work on a particularly miserable day, a friend once said to me, “I just want to go home and get cozy.” Cozy sure sounded good to me, too! But, what exactly is cozy? Is it a state of mind, of comfort, of warmth? Is it that glimmer of light in the darkness? It’s all of these things and yet different for each one of us; cozy is personal.
Coming inside, living indoors, is the natural consequence of cold, long winters; but how we choose to live in our homes during these dark months is what makes it bearable and, dare I say it, pleasurable.
Cozy is my constant survival mode for winter. Keeping the house comfortably warm, adding blankets, pillows and throws to sitting areas and lighting a wood fire all contribute to the perfect ambiance. Flannel sheets, shirts, and nightgowns embrace me with softness. Steaming mugs of tea, coffee and cocoa become my preferred beverages. Even everyday cooking creates comforting warmth with its tantalizing aromas of freshly baked bread and slow-cooked soups and stews.
Preparing our homes for the holidays only ramps up the coziness factor. We can create scenes of indoor beauty with just white candles and fragrant greenery or add more magic with the sparkle of tree lights, presents, and ornaments. From simple to ornate, it’s all pleasing to our senses and only adds to the pleasure of being home. The key to living well all winter is to keep this warm and comforting aura going long after the Christmas tree has been taken down.
By enhancing our pleasure in being indoors, home becomes the place where we most want to be – a place that’s inviting, beautiful, warm, andcozy.