Hello & welcome — Who’s not ready for the upcoming holiday season?! I find December similar to that person who just doesn’t understand you need your personal space. You know it’s coming, but it seems far off. You take a minute for yourself, close your eyes, breathe in, exhale, open your eyes and it’s right there. Like an inch from your face! 

That said, I do love the traditions that I’ve built around the holiday season — the hustle of markets, tree selection + decorating, card writing, and spending an excessive amount of time baking —or watching people bake, The Great Christmas Bake Off anyone?!

So yes, a busy, but fun & wintery month December!

I may be a bit biased, but I think the act of writing, sending and receiving Christmas cards is magical! To me, it is a meaningful way of connecting with friends and family, a brief hello and warm wishes — a reminder that you are in my thoughts.

Along with a pile of letterpress-printed cards, I like a cup of tea or glass of port to set the stage— if the mood strikes, I might put the Time-Life Treasury of Christmas LPs on repeat! I gather favourite pens and inks, an obsessive assortment of holiday postage stamps, and my well-worn address book, and then settle into my yuletide task. 

For me, this annual correspondence ritual is a way to mark the culmination of a hopefully well-spent year, and to invite goodness into the coming new year. It is meaning-making creative work for certain. A slow, intentional connection with friends and family in an increasingly bustling —or whichever adjective comes to mind— world. 

I must admit, my favourite part happens after the cards are written, that moment with envelopes in hand, mail chute pulled open, holding my breath as I let go… watching the letters drop into the wondrous red box that will eventually lead to the delivery of each card to its intended recipient. Simply magical!