It’s hard to believe it’s already the holiday season and even harder to believe that we’re in our second round of holidays during Covid and it feels like we’re back to square one… Ugh. I’m just grateful to have my family and my life and be safe and be able to give myself a BREAK over these next few weeks and recentre. Keep reading to hear how I’ll be spending this quiet time (LOL jk the holidays are anything but quiet) and what I’m looking forward to newly implementing in my life for 2022!!

First and foremost, I just want to cozy up with my little family and watch Christmas movies… in our matching rompers haha and drink hot chocolate (except with a little extra something-something for Gary and I haha) and then venture out to look at some Christmas lights. I think we might take in Glow Langley. If you don’t know it, it’s a drive-through Christmas light festival so not only is it Covid-safe but it’s super easy with the kids and it’s WARM. Such a great idea.

We’ve also developed a little nightly tradition where I take the boys out for a walk around our community and look at the Christmas lights. It’s so precious- just me and the two of them and Gary gets some time to himself. I really look forward to it, especially on the days that I’ve spent more time inside. It’s so nice to get out for some fresh air, get one on one time with my babies, AND get to enjoy some serious Christmas spirit! 

Movies to watch… Is it really Christmas if you haven’t watched The Holiday, The Santa Clause, The Family Stone, It’s a Wonderful Life, White Christmas and a handful of Hallmark Christmas Movies?? 

As you all know, I’ve been working SO HARD recently but what you might NOT know is that I’ve been getting through it all with a Hallmark movie playing in the background on mute 😂 I know fun times are ahead and I’m excited to actually sit down and enjoy one with NO DISTRACTIONS (yes, I know this might be far fetched with two little ones) but HEY I’m going to try and have a girls night and watch two back to back and really enjoy it!!! And if it ends up with me and the girls just gabbing the whole time then of course I won’t mind that one bit.

It’s been SO magical for me to see the magic of Christmas come alive in Pierce. Meeting Santa was a moment I’ll never forget… how his eyes just lit right up when he saw him for the first time and walked right over, sat on his lap (good thing there wasn’t a line up haha) and asked for a logging truck… lol THAT came out of left field!!!! Good thing we found one super quick! 

 

Both Pierce and Bence did SO well and we got some INCREDIBLE photos from Sarah Amral who has an amazing set up that is absolutely my decor style and aesthetic. I think we might make it an annual occasion!! I’m so happy we found such an amazing spot. We were in and out in 10 minutes, there were no line-ups, and the photos were EXACTLY what I was looking for. Gary said “I would be fine to do all the photoshoots if they were like that” haha!! Noted… And the boys could NOT have been better, they even sat together and totally melted my heart. Now I just need to get one of these printed on our Christmas card and my life is MADE. Or realistically a New Years card this year. 

Pierce loves cooking and baking with me and Gary has requested a few treats like a white chocolate peppermint cheesecake so I’m super excited to get started on those. 

I’ll be of COURSE wrapping gifts. And I’m looking forward to making it extra special for Pierce this year (and Bence too but he is still a little young but taking it all in.) Making it a little extra special for ME though means I get to put that background-Hallmark-movie sound ON and fill up my vino. 

I really hope it snows because I’d love to take Pierce out in the sled we have for him from the last time it snowed. And of course build a snowman (hello Frozen) haha. Everyone needs an Olaf in their lives. 

We are hosting Christmas Eve, God help us. LOL just kidding I’m actually super excited to have all of Gary’s family over this year. I’m doing blush and creams and greens and a pop of red in the living room. I can’t wait for all the photos & festivities!! We’re serving just appies no seated dinner this year (#Momhacks) and I’m doing desserts in jars that look super pretty. I can’t wait!!

We are ALSO hosting both of our sets of parents AND my sister for Christmas brunch AND to do presents with the kids. Also can’t wait for this. I AM the hostess with the mostess and apparently that means a never-ending energy supply… but I swear that my “Mom strength” and “Christmas host” energies tap from the same source LOL. Hosting all this stuff has become a tradition since we had Pierce, so I can’t wait to have everyone we love over to celebrate the magic of Christmas morning together. 

We are staying close to home for the holidays, which I am honestly so happy to do! But then we get to head to Victoria in the New Year and stay at the most gorgeous #1 rated hotel in Canada, the Oak Bay Beach Resort. After that, we’re having a staycation in the city at the Granville Island Hotel… We had our first date here yeah and now we’re going back with our two kids!!! WILD lol. I’m really looking forward to it, we’re making a little trip out of it and will probably head back up to Whistler again as well! I ALSO really want to make it over to Tofino before spring 😅 Mama is in NEED of some new sights!!!

Looking ahead, I have Bence’s first birthday to plan in May, Cinco de Mayo!! If you have any ideas for a first birthday please let me know!! Party planning is something I LOVE and enjoy and get SO excited to take on another project and make our dreams a reality!! 

I really want both mine and Gary’s businesses to take off this year… well Gary is already doing amazing, but his online presence is NOT (❤️) so I’m coming to the rescue and have some BIG marketing and PR plans for him. This might look like a partnership coming at you in our 12 Days of Christmas next year 😉 You know I’m already in planning mode for 2025 haha 😉😉.

Lessons from 2021 that I’m bringing with me into 2022: 

I read the headings from Yung Pablo and they really resonated with me, so I took from them what I needed and made them my own!! I thought this might help to inspire YOU with YOUR intentions for the New Year as well 💞

Let go of perfection: with two kids I’ve had to struggle to let this go a bit!! For being very Type A, obsessively clean, and organized with it all together most of the time… two kids really turned things upside down. Sometimes something just has to give and that’s ok. I just try to be strategic about it so my obsessive side can handle it haha. 

So say someone is coming by for a meeting, the downstairs is fully clean and together but maybe the laundry room might be bursting at the seams? I’m just not going to worry about it until I have some spare time. Phew.

If the craziness from my website launch at the same time as our 12 days of Christmas and other brand partnerships taught me ANYTHING, it’s that I CANNOT physically get to everything in a day. And I’m ok with that. I can only do as much as I can before I run myself down to the f*ing ground LOL. And I mean it when I say I was burning the candle at both ends… I was up until 3am most nights with the kids getting me up one after the other for the remainder of the night until I had to finally call it a night at 6am and just get up with little to no sleep and do it all again the next day. I am READY for a break and for my schedule to slow down a bit in January. 

I want to focus on broadcast segments in the New Year and build out The Blog more. I am ALSO working on Gary’s website for his business and some marketing strategies around that (as previously mentioned), so any extra time is much needed to get to a few other projects I have in mind. You should see my to-do list hahahahha it’s like one of those scrolls that just rolls across the room.

We are also organizing the ENTIRE KITCHEN and installing a beautiful pantry that I designed with Stor-X, lighting from Kichler Lighting and it’s all being organized by NEAT… yaHOO. I can NOT wait for that and to share that all with you! 

Forcing it does not work… no matter how hard you try or want something to work out it just won’t and it’s for the best. Such sage advice.

Ups and downs are natural… that’s what living is about!!! Life is amazing then it’s awful, then it’s amazing and then it’s ordinary and mundane and routine. It’s important to breathe in the moments that are amazing and hold onto those during the worst of times and just rest into the ordinary and try and be grateful for the mundane because it could swing to awful in a moment and you would wish it was back to ordinary again. That’s life for you, it’s heartbreaking and soul healing, amazing and awful and ordinary. 

Be generous but have boundaries. I’m still working on this but when I have clear, defined boundaries I feel SO good and proud of myself for sticking to my guns and not letting the pressure get to me. 

You have to let go many times to heal… if 2021 taught me anything it’s to LET GO so that I can heal. And you know what happened?? Things worked out EVEN BETTER for me. Things are happening FOR you not AGAINST you and that is something to really remember going into 2022. If catching COVID while being 9 months pregnant with my 2 year old toddler who also had COVID and breaking my ankle taught me ANYTHING, it’s that letting go helps to find the lessons and how I will be better off as a result of the incident. Honestly, you can find meaning in anything, it’s just a matter of being open to it.

Emotional maturity makes a difference. This one I KNOW for certain helps me in many discussions and relationships in my life. It really helps me to remain calm and come from a place of love, ESPECIALLY to those that haven’t developed their emotional maturity yet (and maaybe I was even brought into their life to help them to learn those lessons…)

Beauty is abundant but connection is unique. Of all the things that COVID has taught us, I think that connection being most important and truly valuing the relationships in our lives are at the top of my list. I’m so grateful to have this platform, to have my family, to have my friends, and to have my relationship with myself. 

Thank you so much for sharing your time with me and for supporting me during all of this. Truly, you are all so special to my life and my journey, and the very least I want is to make an impact in your lives in return. I’m looking very, very forward to continuing to grow together through 2022 ❤️ and I hope all of you and yours are safe during this holiday season.

I’d love to hear about what special things you’re doing during the holidays down below in the comments. And reminder to please let me know of any special 1st birthday ideas you have!! 

From me and from everyone at Team Natalie, wishing you the best of the season, Happy Holidays 2021 ❤️❤️