It happens in silence, far from the world, from the euphoria, alone in my big house in my wooded paradise, with my lover and my animals.
It's a muffled atmosphere, calm, everything is quiet, for a few days, a bit like when there is a power failure.
I like to take advantage of these moments to read, in silence, to play Nintendo, the only time of the year when I plug in the console and fool my boyfriend with Dr. Mario. I like to laze around in soft clothes in front of B movies that make my heart beat faster and don't break my head. Enjoying a cheese fondue with my boyfriend, both of us sitting alone in front of the TV.
Going for a walk with my cats, who, with the end of their leash, will most certainly want to drag me on the snowy slopes of the field and on which I will fall. Of course I'll let them do it, their happiness above all.
There is no decoration in my house. Nothing, not even a colored bulb, neither inside nor outside. What's the point of running around decorating the house, only to have to fix it up again later? The snow outside is more than enough for me, as well as the mess on the kitchen counter, because I allow myself a certain amount of voluntary sloppiness.
My ideal Christmas is also one with no forced gifts. You read that right, no forced gifts. I favor spontaneous gifts, which come from the heart, regardless of the time of year, rather than forced gifts. Forced because you had to break your head to find suggestions, forced to go shopping, to wrap, to give, which in the end will not be a surprise for the recipient, since he or she made a list. At least that's how it is with us. When in fact, gratitude is the only gift to be shared and manifested. Or give to those in need.
One of my favorite spontaneous gifts is to find a little something special and say to yourself: "Oh, so and so would like that". And indeed, the surprise is real and appreciated because it comes from the heart and not dictated by the calendar.
My sharing wouldn't be complete if I didn't mention that my ideal Christmas is also about giving peanut shells to blue jays, peanut butter to squirrels, food to deer, chumming with a chipmunk and offering him mounds of food in front of his den.
And you, what is your ideal Christmas?
Photo credit France Bolieu