What a Christmas & new Year season we had in Toronto. Snow storm and -10, then an ice storm, then another snow storm, followed by a week or two of deep, deep freeze. If we miss winter here, nature sure delivered a good dose while we were home.
I hope that everyone out there was safe, and able to enjoy their holiday, despite any power outages, and other natural inconveniences. We were lucky not to lose power in our house.
The holidays, however, are quick becoming a distant memory, as we are back at school / work. But, here are a few things we are doing not to hang on to that “holiday feeling”:
1. Writing thank you notes.
We got plenty of nice, thoughtful gifts from people, and there’s still nothing like a hand-written note to say thank you… (is that really old-fashioned of me?) So, my kids are drawing pictures and writing notes for all the major gifts they got.
I love getting cards and emails from friends send out as holiday greetings, or, more common now, New Year’s cards. We have several friends we may not hear from (much) between cards and I love getting their news and feeling like I am reconnecting. It feels more personal that Facebook.
3. Enjoying our holiday gifts.
Pretty self-evident… I am playing around as we write with my new iPhone from my husband…. very excited!! However, how long will it take before I am no longer “excited” and I take this gift for granted? Try to marvel at its new-ness and your bounty for as long as you can.
4. Keeping on giving
There is a lot of focus around the Holidays on giving back, but just because it’s January, doesn’t mean that people aren’t still in need out there. The Philippines, Syria, and our own fair city all have people who still need help. Pack up stuff you may no longer need (after your holiday gifts, or in general) and drop them off at a Salvation Army. Volunteer your time at a soup kitchen. Help organise a fund-raiser, or just attend one. The spirit of giving should be with us all year round.
Valentine’s Day and Family Day are just around the corner!! In our house, we also have a birthday of a special little person on Feb 2nd, so we are busy planning what he wants to do to make his day extra fun. (Heck, it’s groundhog day on Feb 2nd, so you could celebrate that!)
