Now that the big man has hung up his hat for the year and is hopefully kicking back to recoup, it means the rest of us are likely returning to the grind.  The days and weeks that follow Christmas are a complex mix of emotions.  Between the clean-up, the return to work, and the sadness that it’s all over for another year,  my body and mind has historically gravitated quickly to returning to a state of stress and anxiety that I do not look forward to.  At the same time, to reflect back on everything that just occurred, I am so full of content with all of the love that filled our home.

It’s not that the new year is without events to anticipate; with skiing, birthday celebrations, travel plans and new beginnings, there is certainly no shortage of great and wonderful things on the horizon.  I will admit, however, that my brain really needs to make an effort to remember those things; my unfortunate default setting is to focus my thoughts on the things that are challenging and stressful.  That’s one of the driving reasons I write this blog every week – it pushes me to observe the wonderful things around me and not lose sight of the good that occurs day-to-day.  I pause, I breath, I reflect, and I absorb the thing that’s happening now when it comes to these musings, and even though January is a hell-storm of catch-up and tending to everyone’s else’s needs upon returning from extended vacations during the 9-5 suddenly becomes my priority, there is a greater measure of joy within my orbit.

When Santa came to our house this year, he brought with him two rather elaborate doll houses, along with some dolls to occupy them.  This was the first year that the girls wished for something material in nature, with past requests being more focussed on books, experiences, and consumable lifestyle items.  We admittedly weren’t sure how we felt about their request in the moment, for while we certainly do have “stuff” in our house, things like LOL dolls and Barbies were something I never thought I’d be ok with.  Shame on me for having such a narrow view on the matter.

Reflecting back to when I was their age, I had my fair share of micro machines, transformers and any other pop-culture toy you could think of from the 80’s, and what I remember from playing with them has nothing to do with aggression, guns, war or angst.  I remember sending my little toy robots on missions to explore new worlds, recover lost treasures and working together to build racetracks for their children…the micro machines.   In other words, I used them to exercise my imagination.  Why would Barbie need to be any different?

In the right context, environment and surrounding values of our household, the three-story dream house that now sits in our playroom has already seen more hours of play and imagination than I ever would have thought possible.  I am, of course, reminded of my own aforementioned toys, and listening to the games they come up with just fills me with joy.  Their dolls play characters involved in situations clearly familiar to their day to lives, involved in activities at school, home and family.  As they give voices to each character, I am proud at what I hear, taking comfort in the clear signs that we have created a household built on love, compassion, kindness, and values I hold dear.  Can they achieve this level of imagination and creative play without the store bought, name brand plastic goods?  Absolutely.  I’m not saying it’s a requirement, but I am certainly recognizing that they aren’t pure evil, either.  And, of course, I will admit that, on the occasions when ‘Daddy doll’ is nagging ‘daughter doll’ to clean up before watching TV, I stop in my tracks to ask myself if I really sound like that (Yes. Yes I do), and while realizing these things about oneself may not always be the most desired thing, it does help me evolve as a parent, so I can’t help but be at least somewhat grateful for that.   So, thank you, Santa, our house is filled with laugher and creativity.

Beyond the toys, the five birthdays we will be celebrating over the next 6-weeks, and the return to routine, what I am perhaps most eager for now is the arrival of snow.  It has been a grey and wet couple of months and the advent of fluffy white snow is long overdue.  The skiing, the walks, the snow-shoeing, and the snow structures are all begging to come to life, and I am ready!  Last year, despite it being just as grey and wet as it is right now, I got to enjoy the occasional detour on my way home from the office to snowshoe through parts unfamiliar to me, and I look forward to doing the same in 2024.  So while the 9-5 may be a bustle of stress, catch-up, KPIs and budgets in the first parts of the year, there certainly is a reprieve by the time I clock out, explore the unknown and make my way to home warm my bones by the comforts of the the fireplace and my family.  And, of course, French Onion Soup.

This next year will no doubt bring with it a fair share of challenges, hurdles and obstacles to overcome; but to sit in nothing but that seems an unfortunate way to spend a day, never mind a year.  Instead I will pay attention to the moments and tune into the conversations that occur, both in and out of these walls.  Be it our daughters playing school with their dolls, or offering up reminders to their favourite part of the holiday season, I like to believe that the complexities of human emotion have more highs than lows, and that’s certainly something worth focussing on.