Merry Christmas From Tokyo With Love
Happy Holidays!
I usually spend this time of year baking sugar cookies, getting the skis out of the cellar, visiting the Christmas markets, planning my holiday menus and drinking (a bit too many) bubbles.
The holidays are usually very grounding for me.
I go back to old traditions and do all of those little things, just because it is Christmas time. It always feels good. It is a natural way to slow-down and take it all in.
This year, however, we are packing our tennis rackets and our flip-flops and legging it to the Land Down Under.
We have decided not to go home to Switzerland. It will be the first Christmas our family spends away. And, in all honestly, it feels a bit strange. I will be far away from my home, my family, my friends.
It strikes me that, while we are busy creating these crazy-amazing memories, we are also missing out on the lives of our extended families. This is so incredibly different than how I grew up and how I thought we would raise our children.
Do you remember yours? Do you remember the first Christmas you didn’t spend in that traditional, normal way you always did? Or maybe there is another reason that your holiday will be a little bit less ordinary this year?
As I look back over 2018, I realize that it has been one of those kinds of years.
Nothing has been the same. From our sleepy little Swiss village, to living in a city of thirteen million people... from a career in marketing and running an events company, to following my passion for writing and photography... from holidays spent laced with traditions and family, to one spent on the beach... so many changes….
What I hope, when all else is weird and different and new, is that... wherever we are... whatever we do... whatever is scaring us... whatever real-life stuff is blocking our paths... whatever changes we are making.... whichever leaps we are taking... that the love and warmth and happiness of Christmas brings on the cheer for all of us.
I hope that, just for a moment, life is uncomplicated.
I wish you every joy this holiday season. I hope that you are able to see your loved ones. I hope you feel loved. I hope you find strength to claw through the gloomy stuff.
Thank you for reading along this year.
It has been a great pleasure to write and share my journey through our Asian adventure. Please stay tuned next year as I travel through Japan and see a bit more of Asia… while continuing to navigate family life.
Lastly, because I am a bit far away and this seems like a natural time to catch up, please reach out to me and let me know how your year has been. What has changed? What challenges have you faced? What stayed the same? I would love to hear from you.
Merry Christmas to you and yours. See you in 2019.
I'm off to Oz,
Sx