Misha Crews

It’s December 1st! This means that the holiday season is officially in full swing, bringing pretty lights, gingerbread lattes, the wonderous faces of children as they peek through store windows… and stress. Oh my gosh, so much stress!

Is it my imagination, or is the calendar suddenly full, while my bank account is suddenly empty? Has the need to fit into pretty clothes doubled, while my waistline has done the same? Is there even more self-induced pressure to post images of an Insta-worthy home, while my already un-grammable house is now cluttered with shipping boxes, shopping bags, and random scraps of tape?

Yikes. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves, don’t we? That’s why I love this quote:

“Is there a place you can go to break away for a little while? If you haven’t yet built your tree house, it’s never too late to start.” – Gina Greenleaf

This is something we all sorely need: a place to break away, a place to relax, a place just to breathe. One of my early resolutions for the new year is to construct a little haven for myself: a nook that is all mine, where work and the world don’t have to take precedence.

Here is an example of one of my cozy nook dreams. (I’ll take her youth and beauty too, while I’m at it!)

Of course, my own nook won’t be quite that glamorous… or quite that mobile. But that’s 2023’s problem. In the meantime, I find that just daydreaming about it is sometimes enough to reduce the stress. And for the occasions when daydreaming doesn’t quite do the trick, we always have chocolate! (And coffee. And reading. And Colin Firth movies.)

Hm. I guess I’ve built myself a little “imagination treehouse” there, haven’t I?

How do you deal with stress during the holiday season? or any season, for that matter?

Wishing you bright days and peaceful nights, my friends!

♥️♥️♥️