the Advent season
Each year we like to celebrate the coming of Christmas with Advent readings for the four weeks leading up to Christmas. This is something we always celebrate in our church and has become a good ritual for me personally. This time of year is already nutty with busy schedules and frenzied shopping – and my mind & heart can feel especially weary with reminders of tough seasons of life, hurt, loss and fractured relationships that the holidays inevitably bring to mind. So while I absolutely adore this time of year, it can also feel bittersweet, and I need all the reminders I can get about why this season is so important. Even if you are not a church-going or Bible-reading person, celebrating Advent I believe is a great way to walk through the month of December and celebrate the Christmas season.
There are four themes of Advent: Hope, Love, Joy & Peace. We all hold on to hope for things to change that are causing us heartache or to see something come to fruition that we long for. We need love to make us feel known and whole. We need joy for a full and content life, and peace when the former things haven’t quite come to us yet. As we head toward Christmas I’m keeping these truths at the front of my mind in hopes of fully experiencing all of the bittersweet moments that come with this time of year.
lately
This week I shared a new collaboration with Delara Home and their organic, fair-trade bedding. They sent me their ruffle duvet cover and 3 in 1 wool duvet and I have been so impressed with the quality. But my favorite thing is how they have snaps on their duvet set so you can layer up or down depending on the season: pure genius.
I made a trip down to Columbus this week and picked up this vintage floor lamp for next to the chaise in the front room. I had been searching for one of these for a very long time; new floor reading lamps are always way too tall (like 50-60″) and this is the perfect height at 36″, plus it’s adjustable. I used some silver leaf Rub n’ Buff I already had – I like the different finish, but I want something a little warmer. More to come next week!
new year planning
My Christmas shopping is wrapped up and I am onto feeling frugal in the new year (anyone else get that way the months after Christmas?), but there are a few things I need to save for: our pantry renovation, a new computer and upgrading my other tech plus a coffee table for our TV den. So in the meantime I’m busy pinning ideas for our pantry and getting my work calendar squared away for the coming months!
Happy Friday!
XO —
