Christmas and Stillness
If you've been around this blog or me for more than .5 seconds, you know I love Christmas! I always say I'm part elf. I have a "Christmas music only" rule that goes into effect on Thanksgiving and I have around 1,431 different Christmas traditions. We get our real tree (because fake is NOT allowed) and it must be wrapped with 800+ lights. We unwrap our Christmas ornaments carefully while reminiscing about our travels (that's my thing, I get ornaments whenever I travel) and drink something Christmas-y. There are traditions all through the month of December, straight through to the day after Christmas. I know. Just imagine being married to me-I guess I'm more of a Christmas drill sergeant than an elf!
The one thing I've noticed each year is that Christmas seems to speed by faster and faster. I wake up one day and it's 90 degrees in October (thanks, Georgia) and the next day it's January. I used to use my traditions as a way to pump the brakes a bit. To slow down and savor the magic that is this time of year, but I've noticed the more traditions I add the faster it seems to go. It's just one big tornado of ribbon, shopping, lights and a few fa la las. Can I get an amen?!
Gift giving gets reduced to whatever's left on the shelf or whatever can ship within 24 hours. I have sent out Christmas cards exactly once in 9 years of marriage. One year I even bought and stuffed them, but Christmas came and went...and then New Years came and went...and I thought it would just be a little odd to send out Valentine's cards so they all ended up in the recycling bin! Lol! Every year Christmas seems to sneak up on me and I run out of time/energy/resources way too fast. Not to mention it is the busiest time in the studio too!
All that said, this year I want to do it a bit differently. I want to plan a little better, let a few of the "musts" go and gift myself the gift of time and presence. I'm going to do my best to cap the amount of clients I say yes to. I'm going to create space where there usually is none. I want to take time to be still and savor the season and the people around me. Life is much too short to be hurling myself from thing to thing in a Santa hat while manically declaring how much I love Christmas!
All that said, if you want to give your partner the gift of a gorgeous boudoir session, get in touch early! And if you'd like that session to include the lights you see pictured, your session needs to take place BEFORE November 18th!