SCRAPS AND SCRIBBLES
A few weekends ago and on the heels of some major Pacific Northwest snowfall, my fiancé and I rented a car to drive down the coast to Oregon and pick up a car purchase in Portland. On the way back, we stopped for a night in the resort town of Cannon Beach, home to the oft-photographed Haystack Rock. The key to getting a fabulous beach view room and super speedy takeout from The Wayfarer for a pandemic-safe getaway? Do your oceanside vacationing during cold and windy off-peak times!
Snow has blanketed the northwest, bringing an eerie, insulate silence that I just love. Stay warm and safe! Use caution on icy roads.
2016 tree concept
2016 gift wrap scheme
I think many have complicated feelings about the winter holidays. I know I do. I live for the holiday season: the brisk temperatures, extended time off, the excuse for baked goods, the festive lights and mulled wine and fair isle sweaters. But. Like with any highly anticipated thing that comes packaged with high expectations, the holidays generally find me sinking into a state of thwarted perfectionism. The decor must be photogenic, the gift choices flawlessly suited to recipient, the party conversation sparkling and interesting, the family movie choices a hit with every single person present. 2020 has amplified that questioning & anxiety.
How did I manage to gain so much weight this season? Did I do enough this year? I’m another year older - but what do I have to show for it? And with it all: feelings of guilt for being a wet blanket during the holidays when everyone else is already wrestling with their questions too, and trying not to show it.
At the end of a weird year, the questioning and the thwarted perfectionism are weirder too, and likely not improved by spending the season in isolation. To those of us who have complicated feelings and experience complicated holidays: You’re doing great. Happy Christmas, and may better times lie ahead.
