In an effort to make this holiday season more relaxing and enjoyable for everyone my family has decided to reinvent Christmas.  We are re-evaluating our traditions and trying out some new ones in an effort to slow down the whirlwind of festivities that Christmas has become to us adults.  We want to play in the snow, enjoy each other's company, and gorge ourselves on mouthwatering delights.  Gift giving and receiving has become less of a priority.  In the excitement of the moment even the shrewdest holiday shopper can be led to purchase useless curios.  My grandmother having eight well-meaning adult grandchildren has invented her own term for these items, "pudey-puddy".  She has very firmly stated that if we feel the need to give her something then let it be knee-highs or bubble bath but better yet send a card and be done with it.   At 80 something years of age my grandmother has finally discovered a way to escape the unwanted gift trap and now vehemently passes her wisdom on to anyone who will listen.  We have decided to try to exterminate the "pudey- puddy" this year.  Exterminate may seem too harsh a word but let's be real; it is very hard to get rid of unwanted gifts.  For example the huge crystal bell that greeted me yesterday when I opened my Christmas Decoration tote creates so many guilty better-keep-it feelings that it pretty closely resembles a cockroach because of its ability to survive all odds in an organization fanatic's home. 

(Click to Learn More)
Intensive 1 on 1 Coaching Retreat	Group Coaching Retreat

I had a fabulous time doing a retreat last month on Protection Island with three wonderful women. It is amazing the ripple effect a retreat has on those in the lives of the participants. We reduce the clutter in our lives and create space for different relationships and more clarity in our lives. I am thrilled for these women. It was also the first time I stayed with the participants and that worked wonderfully well. So much so, that I would consider doing that again with others. Good for me to know this because it means that I could actually travel to the group vs. them having to travel to me. Opens up more possibilities for my clients and others.

Spent a very enjoyable afternoon doing a peer coaching skills workshop with a group of women who are looking at self-employment. This was on Denman Island and it was held in a log building complete with a woodstove and a roaring fire on a beautiful cold sunny day. Being surrounded by nature always makes for a wonderful event for me.

T'is holiday month for many. We celebrate Christmas quite simply at our house. A yummy breakfast followed by a walk with the dog on the beach and then a delicious turkey dinner at our friends Rick & Brian's. We'll call our families and see what the day brings for them. This year my mom will be celebrating her first West coast Christmas and spending the day with David & I. No grandkids here this year for us although we look forward to being able to celebrate with them another year. As many of you know, with blended families there needs to be some flexibility.

We'll be sponsoring a family this year, donating to the food bank, the Cumberland Forest Society and the SPCA for our gift giving. Meaningful, purposeful and fulfilling for me.  My mom is an excellent baker and we have asked for cookies this year for Christmas. Mmmm - I can taste them now, just thinking about it. It will be very good to be in our new home this year. That is a treasured gift in itself.

Cumberland Chronicles - Now that we are in a higher elevation here we get more snow than we did by the ocean where we had very little. We had our first snowfall two weeks ago and it was stunningly beautiful. I have included a few pictures I took that first day. One from the upper deck, lower deck and out my office window. How could one not be inspired to do great work with those views!

We continue to walk and walk and walk in this Village of ours. I find I shop more in the Village vs going to a larger center. There's more meaning in contributing to our community and the shop owners. There's such a nice feel to it all. The only time I think of our other neighborhood is to be reminded how I don't miss it. I find that so interesting as I thought I could never move away from the ocean. What I realize is that beauty comes in many forms and just being in nature and having a private space for me is what is most important. I had a client to my home office yesterday and after giving him a tour he said "no wonder you wouldn't want to leave here to work somewhere else."

Now if we could just have those built-ins finished in the Living Room. Very disappointing. Gives us something to continue to look forward to. :~)

I see that the next time we'll be "talking" will be in the New Year. My how time flies. Thank you all for spending your 2005 with me and supporting my work and my newsletter by subscribing and passing the newsletter onto others. See you in 2006!

-Linda