A Few Holiday Thoughts

Sezane dress
Vintage Chanel heels (similar)
Chanel handbag
Linjer rings (c/o) (similar)
Chanel earrings (similar)
Location: Osborne Village – Winnipeg, Manitoba

It seems almost unfathomable, as I sit down to type this, that we’re two weeks from the end of another year. I’ll spare you all the series of cliches about how quickly time passes, although I’m sorely tempted to write them all out. The fact is, I know where my time went this year. I’m also acutely aware that no one is interested in all the Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations that have occupied my frantic days. It will all be over in a couple weeks, and we’ll flip the calendar, always optimistic that everything will change for the better because we do. And before that, Christmas will come, which means that if I have any holiday thoughts, this is the time to share them.

My interest in holiday season has ebbed and flowed over the years. I came down from a peak of indifference in 2017. But, admittedly, my enthusiasm this year has been relatively minimal. The holidays feel like a lot of work for little return, somehow. And most days I’d rather distribute my precious time to activities that inspire me more than gift wrapping does. (Which is not to say that I’ve haven’t bought or wrapped the gifts. I have, it’s all done. The tree is up as usual, and we’re even hosting Christmas Day brunch this year. I’m doing it all, just a bit half-heartedly.)

The part of the holiday season that never fails to capture my imagination is the outfits. So here I am, wearing what I might if we celebrated in a warmer place. I won’t pretend that I don’t have a whole line up of impractical looks like this one, prepared for the next two weeks. If Christmas is going to come anyway, and it will, I will absolutely lean into the parts of it that I do love. Any excuse for costume changes is a good one, in my book.

As the new year that follows Christmas approaches, my holiday thoughts are decidedly introspective. My menus and outfits are planned. But now, after over a decade, I find myself marvelling at the fact that I’m still here, still sharing them, along with the stories of my life. I started a blog because I loved reading blogs. And in the past year, I’ve watched so many of the blogs I adored shut down. The writers have moved on to new phases of their lives or simply tired of recording every outfit they wear for posterity. I can’t blame them. I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t have anything resembling a plan when I launched C&V. When I was still writing after ten months, that felt like a victory; the idea of writing for ten years never crossed my mind, and now it’s been almost thirteen.

“The most courageous act is to think for yourself. Aloud.”
– Coco Chanel

Sometimes, you don’t need a plan – being in the right place, at the right time, with the right skills, is enough. That’s how it went for me, with C&V. It grew as I did, giving me the space to think aloud, and be heard. To become the woman I imagined I could be. But sometimes I wonder exactly why I keep showing up here. Is it because I’m still passionate about it, or has it just become a habit, so ingrained that it doesn’t occur to me to try to break it?

I am immensely, intensely and overwhelmingly grateful that anyone ever read along. And even more so that people still do. This was just an impulsive antidote to under-stimulation in my work life when I started out. It was happenstance that it became what I can only describe as a transformative experience. I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it hadn’t been for the opportunities that came my way by simple virtual of the fact that I decided to put myself, and my words, out there in the online world. But my life has also evolved naturally over the past decade. My day-to-day is unrecognizable when compared to what it was when I started my Blogger account. And I can admit that this year, more than ever, I’ve contemplated whether there’s still space for C&V in it.

…I’m not really sure yet.

What I do know, as another holiday season approaches, is that no matter what this next year brings, I’ve been so lucky. I still am. So while I might not be feeling over-the-moon that Christmas is here again, my holiday thoughts are filled with gratitude. I have what so many people don’t: choices. And what an incredible privilege that is – truly, one worthy of celebration, every day of the year.

I wish all the best to you and yours, my friends; this season, and always. Happy holidays!

Shop the Post