Finding Festive Joy. #everydaystyle.

Come 'ere, I am going to let you in on a little secret.

Actually it isn't a secret.

Last few years, except for maybe a bit last year, I have found the whole Christmas period a bit....unbearable.

I hated going to the shops
The Christmas songs on the PA system made me cringe
I was glad when it was all over.

I don't think it was Christmas per se, I think it was a function of what was going on in my life at the time. Christmas can intensify feelings of loneliness, guilt, regret, anger, resentment, longing....all the good stuff.

I think my strategy was to just make as best I could out of it....a day to eat myself into a coma.

Now can I say, I am....slightly....enjoying the season...could it be?

I think this enjoyment actually sunk in last weekend. I think I started seeing and feeling some of the beauty of it. Here was something I posted on Facebook that day:

Many things made my heart swell, or brought tears to my eyes today.
Thousands of strong women finishing the Sussan fun run. All smiling at each other, encouraging each other, and showing forebearance at the water stations.
A woman with pain from an injured knee making a strong finish to the half marathon.
A recently widowed young mum bravely making a dash for the finish of the half marathon, her children running along with her in the final metres.
In the city, the almost mournful strains of the Salvos horns playing Christmas carols, wafting across Bourke st mall.
Seeing colleagues at a Christmas party, and seeing how their littlies have grown.
Seeing a dear friend glow in her new love.

It is a wonderful time of the year.
May you find wonder there too.

I got quite a few likes for that one.
Perhaps I was a bit high from the adrenaline of the run? A bit too much wine after? Who knows, but I am getting into it with a little more enthusiasm than what I did in previous years.

You might even hear me singing along to Mariah Carey's "All I want for Christmas is You" when it plays in Coles. I have never been above public singing acts.

In other news, I have been playing along with StylingYou's challenge on instagram, Everyday Style. I am usually not one to play instagram games too much, but I like this one, as it has given me impetus to make a little more effort to look snazzy of a day. Here are some outfits.

 

 

Here is a pic from after the fun run:

Happy preparation for Christmas!

How are you enjoying the lead-up?