The invitation was simple. Come to the mall. Shop for your gifts. And share.
Should I do it? I asked my husband.
Do you want to? He answered.
Yes. But it’s live.
Can you do it and not be stressed? We can’t have you stressed right now.
Maybe.
You see, I am a grown woman, confident in many ways, but scared shitless in others. A live filmed performance falls into the latter.
But I wanted to do this.
Last night we put a tiny glowing christmas tree in Alice and Isla's room. It is that time of year.
The time of year that my nostalgia for the shopping mall trumps my desire to hunker down in our house in the country. I want to be enveloped in decorations. I crave the satisfaction of holding a hot latte in one hand, and balancing three bags in the other while simultaneously navigating the swarms of people.
I also love our simplified version of gifting… and I wanted to share it.
Okay I’ll do it. I tell my husband. But only if I figure out what to wear in advance.
…..
Is this okay? I text my sister, an actor in Vancouver, earlier today. She will know if this is on screen appropriate.
I would go with colour. She responds and then sends me a video of Beyonce and suggests I channel her energy during the event.
I settle on grey and don’t watch the video.
…..
Growing up, Christmas was a bonanza of gifts. It was indulgent and special and completely over the top.
I am a minimalist. I like to fill our home with purposeful things, special things but not many things. So something had to give. We had to come up with a version of christmas that worked for our life.
Something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read, something to do, something to give.
This is Christmas… simplified.
Now I don’t claim to have this version perfected. When Alice and Isla did their lists last weekend, there was more than one want on each list. They are children after all, and I’m no grinch.
…..
I arrived at the mall armed with a whiteboard, DSLR camera, my iphone and bright pink lipstick.
Confidence would come later.
The shopping came first.
This is my daughter’s want. I told Chantal, as I reached for the donut inner tube.
It should be her do. She responded, while we chatted about the various Instagram uses for said donut.
It's the Canadian version of the flamingo pool float. It's the gift that keeps on giving.
…..
And then it was time to go live. I could feel my heart pounding against my chest. Would I remember what to say? How do I explain this blog? Would I be loud enough?
Then it was my turn. I tell them my name, I tell them my philosophy on gifting simply.
And then there was no volume.
Pause. Reflect. Restart. No heart pounding this time.
…..
You did great. Proud of you! Andrew texts me right afterwards.
It was great. I’m so glad I did it. I tell him over the phone on the drive home.
…..
I haven’t watched the video yet, and I’m not sure I am ready. But if you’d like to witness my film debut, here’s where you can watch it.
…..
And then it was time to go live. I could feel my heart pounding against my chest. Would I remember what to say? How do I explain this blog? Would I be loud enough?
Then it was my turn. I tell them my name, I tell them my philosophy on gifting simply.
And then there was no volume.
Pause. Reflect. Restart. No heart pounding this time.
…..
You did great. Proud of you! Andrew texts me right afterwards.
It was great. I’m so glad I did it. I tell him over the phone on the drive home.
…..
I haven’t watched the video yet, and I’m not sure I am ready. But if you’d like to witness my film debut, here’s where you can watch it.
and here's the rest of my list..
Want | Barbie from The Bay (20% off) Need | Body Shop Body Butter (3 for $33) Do | Donut Tube from Mrs. Tiggy Winkles (20% off) Read | Fantastic Beasts from Coles ($20) Wear | Something pink and sparkly from Gymboree (50% off) Give | Be generous, purge, donate, regift.