When I left home at eighteen I had two suitcases – one filled with clothes and the other filled with books and stationary. My fountain pens, inks, cards, envelopes and other bits were more important to me than anything else because that’s how I communicated with people – by mail.

In every country I lived, in all my travels, I wrote to friends and family. I wrote thank you cards, ‘just moved’ announcements (lots of them!), thinking of you notes, holiday and birthday wishes and more often than not, simple love notes.

Christmas cards, however, were always my favourite to write. I’d have stocked up on the perfect cards, turned on the holiday tunes, picked up my favourite pen and then would sit down to write. I took this time to really reflect upon my friendships and write that down for them whether it was thinking about something we’d done together, that’d they’d accomplished on their own, on any major changes that came (first year as a mum, as a married person or alone). I know it sounds cheesy but as I wrote these letters, I’d smile. To be able to sit down, think about and acknowledge friends and mail it off, well, I couldn’t think of a nicer gift.

I used to average sending about 150 cards a holiday season, each having a personalized note. Going through my address book was as joyful to me as a good, dishy mag. But over the years, people would move and I’d lose contact, or people just didn’t give addresses anymore because of email & facebook. And those are the same reasons why I used to go from receiving cards during the holiday to receiving only three last year.

And I’ll confess, that broke my heart a little because there is, I think, nothing sweeter than a note, a piece of mail, of knowing that someone took the time to think of you, write it down, and put it to post. A note from a friend and a cup of tea was the perfect break in the day. And truthfully, writing them was, too.

But somehow we’ve become a culture of, ‘that’s too much effort’ to put pen to paper. Technology has changed what ‘connecting’ means – and from what I’ve seen if often means being reminded by a social networking site that it’s a friend’s birthday and that an electronic ‘Happy Birthday’ note will suffice because we’re all so busy.

But I think sometimes ‘busy’ is just a polite for ‘lazy’ and that the things that matter to you should always find a way into your (address) book. Your friends should mean more to you than “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Birthday” on their Facebook wall. Even if only once a year you can write someone, do it. Take the time to write a love note to your friend, your family, the person that helped you this year. And maybe, just maybe, they’ll write you back.

I know I would.

I’ve written a lot how I am not a huge gift giver as I much prefer to give the gift of time to friends (a trip, a spa, a fancy dinner out…) or the unexpected gift. But when I do buy, I tend to lean towards handmade, unique, specially crafted goods whether they come from a chain store, a local shop or Etsy. So when I read the “Buy Handmade” Pledge for the holidays, I thought it was a great idea.

I have a lot of favourite items on Etsy, Decor8, Poppytalk Handmade, and Sew Green also have fantastic handmade lists. There are a lot of great stores that do handmade on a bigger scale like:

• Anthropologie (a lot of the home goods and jewelery are artisan made and quite a few done by charitable organizations).
• Branch Home (a lot of recycled and handmade items. I’m partial to these.)
• Shabby Chic (her furniture is artisan, not the Target Line),
• Whole Foods (they have handmade products from Africa that range from jewellery to home goods),
• Mothology

Another thought is to donate money or time to a charity in someone’s name – a great gift for the person who has everything.

There’s so many fantastic ways to buy handmade or locally – what are yours?

I wish that for all of us in 2008 – to make the ordinary, extraordinary, to make our visions real, to not hold back or to get caught up in living someone else’s dream or decor vision. To take the time we need, to not worry or fret if things take a little longer or change shape. To not try to live off other’s expectations and abilities but only our own. To live hygge.

So then, have a very Hygge Holiday – however you celebrate it.

xo

In Danish homes, Advent is celebrated with the arrival of the season’s first decoration-a beautiful Advent wreath of evergreen boughs that holds four tall, white or red candles. The wreath is hung above or set on the dining room table. On the first Sunday before Christmas, one candle is lit, and the most festive and celebrated season of the year begins. On the second Sunday of Advent, the first candle on the wreath and one more candle are lit. The ritual continues Sunday after Sunday until on the last Sunday before Christmas all four candles are lit together.

My mum, like most Danes, has always made the Advent Krans (she goes on walks for all the greenery and hand makes the candles) before the first Sunday of December. It was always hung above our coffee tables as that’s where everyone gathered (Sunday is a huge visiting day for Danes – even more so during the Holidays) and lit every Sunday until Christmas to celebrate each other and the countdown to Christmas.

The photo above is my mother’s Advent Krans in progress which she’ll have done by tonight* so she can begin her countdown. I must confess to being a little envious of my mum being snowed in, with access to trees and making her Advent Krans. Having literally just flown in a few hours ago and having been gone every weekend for the past month, I haven’t put mine together in time for tonight.

But despite an upcoming move I’m going to try to make one (more like Liselotte’s with a tray and votive) so that each Sunday I can lit mine, relax, and enjoy the simple beauty of this tradition. Because being in Los Angeles I often feel so removed from the Holidays so this photo is a reminder that participating in them doesn’t have to be hard.

I love February though not just because it’s my birthday month. I love it because it’s such a hopeful month to me; you feel as though winter is just almost over and spring is on the way, colours of pink, red and white dominate and tulips and robins start poking around. What’s not to love?

Well, there is the commercialism of a particular holiday that’s not to love, isn’t there? I saw Valentines day things in December and it made me really bitter about hearts and chocolate. That is, until I saw the lovely little Valentines notes that Ulla and Melkorka have made for everyone for free. And then I thought that perhaps this year would be the first year to celebrate Valentines.

I’ll actually be on a plane that day (leaving on the 13th and arriving into Copenhagen at 8AM on the 14th) and then checking into a hotel followed by sight seeing so I don’t really have anyone I know to give Valentines to. So I’ve decided I’m just going to randomly hand them out! To the flight crew, people in the row behind me, the taxi driver, the front desk clerk. I’m not sure how this will be taken but we’ll see. There just has to be some way to incorporate these lovely cards into the day….!