Well, another happy Monday to each and every one of you.
Did you know that it is only 39 days until Christmas??
Yikes.
That makes me just about pee my pants.
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to take a little respite from the daily life of Mr. Sunshine to travel to Wellsboro for some sightseeing at the PA Grand Canyon with my good friend, Abby.
Despite the numerous gravel paths that had to be traveled upon, I must say that the views offered to us were spectacular and jaw drop worthy.
The beauty was glorious. The feelings of peace and relaxation were priceless.
And the hosts we got to meet for our “home cabin stay” were perfect, friendly, outgoing, and every adjective in between.
So, if you’ve never had the opportunity to experience the views of the PA Grand Canyon, I highly recommend it.
Actually…scratch that…
…I HIGHLY recommend it.
Anyway, I digress.
It’s time to grab your favorite Starbucks holiday drink (mine is the Peppermint Mocha) and to cuddle up with your blanket in a cozy position as we get down to business with the latest and greatest from Mr. Sunshine!
Are you all situated?
Well, great! Because we are OFF!
As the days continue to carry on, I continue to struggle with so much about the world around us. I continue to be nervous and scared about the rising cases of COVID-19, I continue to feel for all the people the disease has affected–those whose have passed, those currently fighting it, and all the healthcare workers, essential workers, and frontline entities who are continuing to press forward and exhaust themselves as they try to keep everything under control.
I continue to struggle with my focus, especially about the holidays.
And if the struggle of focus wasn’t enough, I get anxiety when I turn around and look and see yet another person decorating for the Christmas holiday even earlier than the year before.
Disclaimer: I did start listening to Christmas music already AND also did some very minor decorating at Sunshine Cottage.
I caved. The stress of seeing others do it got the best of me. Mmmbyeee.
I will say that I’m still looking at getting both an artificial tree and some wreaths to complete the Christmas holiday at Sunshine Cottage for which I have never officially decorated in the 4 years I’ve lived on the street of fruit.
So, if you have any suggestions or recommendations in regards to artificial trees, wreaths, or any other fun & festive holiday decor, send it my way!
Getting in the holiday spirit has definitely been (and will continue to be) a challenge for me; however, here are three things that helped me to find that extra spark of seasonal joy this past week when I needed it most.
#1: Carrie Underwood and John Legend’s “Hallelujah” song from her new Christmas album. The melody is so incredibly beautiful and the lyrics really hit home. As I’ve sat here writing this post for you, I’ve listened to it about 20 times and the ability that it has to extract feelings of such raw, real emotion from my heart is just incredible. Do yourself a favor and take just 4 minutes to listen.
#2: Watching Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey on Netflix. I kept being blasted with ads about in on social media and each time I logged on to my Netflix account, it kept being shown as a “Top Pick For JP” so I thought it would be worth giving it a whirl. And it was worth every minute. I loved the storyline, the songs, the dancing, the casting, and the costumes. It was fabulous and just like the PA Grand Canyon, I HIGHLY recommend it. And here’s a trailer to get your curiosity peaked even more.
#3: Reading The Polar Express. I’m also a huge fan of the movie (it is one of my favorites to watch during the holiday season), but the book is equally as special and reminds us all that we must BELIEVE in the magic.
Well, there you have it folks. I hope that some of these entities that I’ve shared with you in this post will help you find some of the seasonal spark and joy that we could all use some more of right now in our lives.
Let the magic warm the moonlit air.
Find the JOY.
BELIEVE in the magic.
Sprinkle sunshine always,
JP!
Mr. Sunshine Smiles 