We’re transitioning into winter and the holiday season is quickly approaching here in Central Texas. As I write the last blog post for 2021, I’m realizing how much more I enjoy the anticipation and preparation for the holidays than the actual holiday celebrations that can sometimes feel overwhelming. The glow of twinkle lights, the way the sunrise sends horizontal shafts of light through the trees in the back of our home, watching the animals prepare for colder days, curling up for cozy nights by the fire, and even choosing gifts I think my family and friends might enjoy and wrapping them with care are what mean the most to me during the winter season.

I’m spending the next month or so focused on family and the flurry of activity that occurs in the next few weeks, but I’ll be back on the blog beginning January 21, 2022. In the meantime, I encourage you to go back and read some of the blog posts on 52 Seasons you might have missed throughout the year. I’d love to hear your suggestions for ways I can improve this blog, what you’ve loved so far, as well as what you’d like to see more of in the future.

“One may have a blazing hearth in one’s soul and yet no one ever came to sit by it. Passers-by see only a wisp of smoke from the chimney and continue on their way.” - Vincent Van Gogh

Offering kindness throughout the holiday season even when we feel stressed or feel the stress of the store clerk, delivery driver, friend, or family member can help ground us during a busy season. Decide to choose kindness and patience this holiday season. Often, we don’t know the experiences in that person’s life or struggles they are facing, but we can meet them where they are or even surprise them by being the one person all day who made them feel seen.

Celebrate this holiday season by changing someone’s life.

If you are looking for ideas on ways to help, we donate to Casa Marianella, Austin Ed Fund, Safe Alliance, Mainspring Schools, Austin Library Foundation, and World Central Kitchen.

This winter we’re creating a cozy holiday village of cakes and researching cookie recipes to try that reflect our family’s Scottish, English, Irish, and Scandinavian heritage. We also have our freezer stocked with tamales for Christmas Day from Tamale Addiction.

In the mornings we’ve been treating ourselves to organic maple cream spread on our toast and it is SO delicious.

Looking for the perfect gift to give a little one this year? These little cars are my favorite gift to give.

Decorating your tree with recycled materials (*link has sound)

GARDEN

The garden is quiet this time of year. Gone are the bold colors of summer flowers and the abundance that shouts at you to bring it to your table.

Our garden containers are monochromatic green hues of nourishing greens like kale, collards, and Swiss chard, fava beans, snap and snow peas, lettuce, radish greens, and herbs.

We are using self-watering elevated cedar planter boxes with these covers during the winter. I love the way I can just throw the frost blankets over them and clamp them down without much fuss without damaging the plants when we are expecting freezing temperatures.

This week I added one more raised garden planter and filled it with snapdragons, sweet alyssum, chamomile, and carrots. Our mild winter means that we have a longer growing season than most. I also planted dusty miller and Iceland poppy transplants into a pot on the back porch. I love the frosty look of the dusty miller plants for winter.

Don’t forget to water your plants before a freeze and follow these tips for gardening in December in Central Texas.

WELLNESS

I’m putting together wellness gifts for my friends again this year. Giving a gift of wellness with bath bombs, candles, and tea encourages my friends to take care of themselves during a busy season.

Escaping into the storyline of a good show has been a way for me to relax during the holiday season. My new favorite show is Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha on Netflix (*link has sound)

I seriously have loved this show so much, and I’m hoping they have another season coming out in the future. There is so much wisdom in the storyline and plenty of laughs with the dynamic characters and their witty dialogue.

“Do you know what it takes to be a good parent? It’s staying healthy for a long time. They shouldn’t endure pain to save their children money.”

-Yoon Hye-jin (Ms. Dentist) from Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha

No more martyrs. That goes for parents AND their children. We care for each other by taking good care of ourselves first and asking for what we need. No one is an island.

After watching the last few episodes of Season One, I came away with a few more important pieces of wisdom.

Truly see the people in your life for who they are and not who you think they should be. Most importantly, don’t take them for granted.

When you grieve, let it flow through you fully. Don’t bottle it up and go it alone. Let someone else share your grief.

Honor the life of the one who has passed by taking care of yourself. Celebrate the person you lost in a way that feels most like the way they lived their life. What was important to them? What changes did they try to make during their time here or what passions did they hold dear?

We often think of death as a somber occasion, but we can hold moments of laughter and grief in our hands at the same time. We can mourn with a smile remembering the moments we had with that person and share those moments in our minds and hearts again and again in our daily lives.

Let’s all be less efficient together (*link has sound)

This is a beautiful time of year to do less even when you feel the pull to do more, buy more, and be more. Take it easy on yourself.

Find the beauty that is already present in your life.

How to romanticize your daily life (*link has sound)

4 Ways to Navigate the Holidays as a Highly Sensitive Person

Here are a few ways to make this holiday season feel more intentional.

Less is more.

Keep it simple.

Put effort into the things that matter most.

Spend time outside as a family.

Nurture nature and you will nurture yourself.

Find comfort in each other.

Ask for what you need.

As you move through this holiday season, remember this thought. Kids want time with you and more eye contact, not more things (yes, even teenagers, but they would never tell you this is true!).

“Everyone is always getting in the way of playing.”

- Aki from Fault Lines ($) by Emily Itami

Dance is a great way to play as a family! Try out the Hip Hop Nutcracker Dance Class online class or one of their many movement classes and support Ballet Austin.

CREATIVITY

Documenting the seasons, sharing my love of reading, and noticing the wonders of daily life is my form of creative expression (*link has sound)

BOOKSHELF

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” - C.S. Lewis

I’m re-reading Calm Christmas by Beth Kempton in the evenings right now to keep me focused on what is most important this holiday season - connection with family and nature.

What is Jolabaflod or a Christmas book flood? I love this idea of bringing in a flood of books this time of year. What about a book advent calendar like the one on Reading My Tea Leaves where you open one book for each day leading to Christmas?

Every December we have a family tradition of curling up together to read about winter holidays celebrated by the many cultures in our community and around the world. The glow of twinkling lights and a mug of tea bring connection, downtime, and warmth to our family in a season full of activity. My hope is that sharing these stories of celebration with your family will bring warmth and comfort into your home this winter.

For December the MMD book club pick is Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness ($) by Ingrid Fetell Lee. I’m reading Joyful for the second time around and loved listening to it on audio the first time.

Why not make reading an immersive experience? I love the idea of reading with all the senses by putting on a playlist (search the book title on Spotify to see if someone has already made one or go with ambient music that fits the time period or setting), adding scents that tie in with the book using a diffuser or candle, or having a drink or snack that pairs well with the book.

If you’d like to get a few more ideas, you’ll want to listen to the What Should I Read Next Podcast Patreon episode (you’ll need to be a patron to listen to the Reading with all the Senses episode, but you can join for as little as $5).

After listening to all of the inspiring ideas on the episode, I plan to create a sensory experience for my reading time by lighting my peppermint candle, sipping chai tea, and listening to this Once Upon a Wardrobe playlist while reading Once Upon a Wardrobe ($) by Patti Callahan. If you’d like to find out more about the book, this podcast gives a great introduction.

For December I’m reading Once Upon a Wardrobe ($) by Patti Callahan, Strange Weather in Tokyo ($) by Hiromi Kawakami and Allison Markin Powell, Baker’s Magic ($) by Diane Zahlerand, and Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses ($) by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Books I’m listening to: The Last Bookshop in London: A Novel of World War II ($) by Madeline Martin, Braiding Sweetgrass ($) by Robin Wall Kimmerer, Lost in the Never Woods ($) by Aiden Thomas, and Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness ($) by Ingrid Fetell Lee

Books I’ve recently finished: Shiner ($) by Amy Jo Burns, Fault Lines ($) by Emily Itami, and The House on Vesper Sands ($) by Paraic O’Donnell

What’s up next on my TBR (To Be Read) list for 2022?

Gift ideas for bookworms ($) can be found on my Etsy favorites shop.

In case you are looking for book recommendations for kids (or yourself!), gift ideas for all ages head over to the 52 Seasons Book Shop on Bookshop.org ($).

COMMUNITY

Alicia Tapia and the Mobile Bike Library

Where did park benches go?

Tips for Fighting Book Bans

Zero waste ideas for your home (*link has sound) and Zero waste resources in Austin, Texas

The inspiration to heal our planet and that humans are the reason for the decline has never been so obvious after watching The Year Earth Changed (*link has sound)

“If butterflies can evolve larger wing muscles in response to this (climate) crisis, then shouldn’t we at least be able to change a few behaviors - how we drive, for example, or where we set the thermostat?”

-Thor Hanson, author of Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid ($)

We’d love to hear from you! Please share your ideas for holiday celebrations and book ideas with our community in the comment section below.

As we wrap up 2021, I’d love to get your feedback. Please comment below or email me with the posts you loved, ways I can improve, any suggestions for format changes you’d like to share, or ideas for 2022.

Be sure to follow me on Instagram at 52 Seasons Blog. I’ll be popping in from time to time while on my winter break.

Happy Holidays!

(I’ll see you back here on the blog on January 21, 2022)

"Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world." - Desmond Tutu

Thank you for taking time out of your day to read 52 Seasons. I’d love to hear your feedback and ideas so that we can grow together.

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Disclosure: ($) If you see this dollar symbol in a post, the link is an affiliate post. I will receive income or a discount on products if you purchase that item on Bookshop.org or anything on the Etsy, Campspot, Beauty by Earth, or Prana website using my link. Income from the products in these links helps me to keep this blog growing.