I’ve done it again.

Every year I tell myself I’m going to send out cards by December 1, and shop early for thoughtful, carefully selected gifts where I have time to enjoy the ambience of Westfield (charity collectors selling foam reindeer antlers, santa, freebies, happy people, carols, time to sit and try some kind of Christmas-flavoured coffee).

I tell myself I’m going to leave enough time to wrap those presents artfully, beautifully, with handmade swing tags and wrapped in two layers – decorated brown paper and cellophane with a double ribbon. I tell myself I will not, under any circumstances, leave my gift-wrapping until Christmas  Eve.

And yet, here I am, December 24 with bags of unwrapped gifts in the living room.  What with the fruit-shopping, neighbour-visiting and church-going we’re doing today, I’ll be lucky to finish wrapping by the end of “Carols by Candlelight”!

So in all the busyness, I would just like to share an oasis of calm and beauty that sits on the coffee table. Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without bowls of floating gardenias. They came from my mother’s beautiful garden. I catch the soft, sweet, summery frangrance as I walk around doing all my doings, and it gives me a little happy boost. No matter the ambience of Westfield, I’ll enjoy the ambience of gardenia bowl instead.

Do you have an oasis (of calm/beauty/Christmas/the season) at your place?

Merry Christmas!