Short & Sweet List of Holiday Wishes I Can Count On

As this year winds down to another uncertain ending, I too am winding down, while holding on tight to those things that are certain this holiday season.

There will be Christmas cookies, cut into the same familiar shapes I've decorated since childhood - Christmas trees, candy canes, stockings, gingerbread men, angels, and stars - and made with the same four ingredients my mom always used.

There will be sprinkles! As many kinds as I can get my hands on, laid out like an artist's palette or an elf's work station. Some will be sprinkled gingerly, some piled high between layers of icing, and many, many, many will roll onto the floor and crunch beneath our feet as we navigate through the festive mess of it all.

There will be lazy mornings that morph into afternoons, complete with boozy coffees and Christmas jammies.

There will be snow. (Ok, I guess technically I can't guarantee that, but one can dream...) If not snow, there will at least be cold, fresh winter air. The kind that cools your throat and revives your sleepy senses. The kind you inhale deeply, and exhale slowly, watching your breath appear before you like a miniature cloud.

There will be family colouring and puzzle-making and games nights.

There will be music! Whether it's my fingers clumsily fumbling along on the piano, or Kate rocking out on the drums with Jamie on guitar, or Raffi's Christmas Album, which is forever etched in my mind as the official soundtrack to Christmas morning.

There will be noise. Oh yes, there will be noise! Happy noises, like the pitter-patter of excited feet, chasing each other around the house. Like giggles that erupt into full belly laughs! And there will be not-so-happy noises, like crying and whining because "he did this" or "she did that" or because the chase ended with an inevitable crash.

There will be quiet. Perhaps not in my house, and not likely not during the day when everyone is awake, but if I seek it out, perhaps on a cool winter's night, it will be there - beautiful, peaceful, serene quiet.

There will be hope.

There will be joy.

There will be love.

We may not be able to gather with everyone we'd like to see. To hug them close, or share a meal, or rekindle a closeness that has been sorely missed these past few years.

We may not be able to count on our plans or dreams for the new year.

So for now, I'm holding on tight to those things I can count on. My heart is full. My heart is hopeful. And my heart is wishing you all the joy you can find this Christmas season.

This will be my last blog post of the year, as I'll be taking a week off to indulge in some family time, some playtime, and some rest. Happy New Year and I'll see you in 2022!