As a child, the holiday season was a lot more about slowing down than speeding up.
Sure, there was still the hustle and bustle at the shopping mall. Visiting Santa Claus and that that sense of urgency in seeking out and finding just the right gift for family and friends (with a modest Christmas Club from grandma and grandpa).
But, it was more about taking a break from the daily routine, slowing down to bake cookies, make presents or create ornaments. Taking time and care to decorate the tree and the house…just right, and sitting down as a family (broken or not) to watch classic holiday stories unfold again as if seeing them for the first time…all while sipping hot cocoa with a candy cane and whipped cream. These special times were about the doing and being together, not just the end product.
Of course, when I was a child, there wasn't an internet just yet and stores didn't stay open quite as long. There were videos but not DVDs nor 24-hour Christmas marathon channels on cable. So, you planned ahead, and you had downtime when you couldn't run to the store or shop online and had to try to catch your favorite holiday special when it was scheduled to air on TV.
Somehow it seems these days that so many activities meant to give us pause and be carried out with thoughtfulness and love have been assigned to our endless and exhausting 'to do list.' Just one (or a dozen) more tasks that we need to squeeze in rather than joys to be experienced. And we're so busy trying to get items checked off of that list that we fail to take all the pleasure out of them that we could or should.
One of the Christmas traditions that never failed to delight me was getting soft, cozy new pajamas--albeit often presented on Christmas Eve as a gift to satisfy our childish eagerness over…PRESENTS! Still, new fluffy socks and flannel (or fleece) 'jammies' remain a simple but wonderful holiday joy.
For these reasons, I wanted to create this no-place-like-home-for-the-holidays-inspired set filled with items that make you feel soft, warm, cozy and loved. It also includes tastes and aromas that remind us of the simplicity of the season--sweet, minty, chocolaty…goodness!
Whether you sip mint-flavored hot chocolate or a candy cane martini while listening to your favorite holiday music, relax in a hot bubble bath or just spent 5 minutes extra cuddling under the covers on a cold morning, give yourself a pepperminty pedicure or invite a friend over to paint each other's nails in holiday hues, I hope you'll take a little time to remember that the season isn't just about the rushing, buying and noise. It is about slowing down, giving of yourself (even occasionally to yourself) and spending quiet time with the ones you love.
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