Welcome to Series 2
A warm hello again
After another summer of family experiences and the transition back to school, it’s well into Autumn and I’m back with new series.
Here in Toronto, our family celebrates the harvest through Thanksgiving, with its enduring attention on good food enjoyed with loved ones. Is it harvest time where you are? Do you celebrate it too?
This is the season that many, like us, practice gratitude. We often express it through togetherness and displays of beauty and abundance. On other side of this season is the winter holidays; the sales, shopping, gifts, and wants. This is contrasted with questions that I hear year after year from urban families near and far:
How can I reduce the number of new things coming into my home over the upcoming holiday gifting season?
How do I ask family or friends to reduce or avoid physical gifts?
With Halloween less than 2 weeks away, now begins the uptick in purchasing that doesn’t slow until after Boxing Week. It’s also when our family’s rhythm naturally slows, allowing us more time to enjoy the small and often overlooked elements of our days.
Series 2: A place away from the bustle
Starting weekly on November 1st and ending January 31st, I hope this series is a reprieve from the hurried pace of the holidays; a call to something quieter and more connected.
Through stories and essays I’ll explore what less can feel and look like. I’ll offer a consumption experiment and make a case for doing more with what’s already in reach. I’ll offer a framework for the often difficult-to-start conversations with loved ones to encourage less gifts and more experiences. I’ll share a Montessori-inspired gift guide to take the pressure off of researching for your own little ones or to help you buy for others.
Building this space together
Before our Nov. 1st start I want to call on you to make this space yours.
Do you have a friend that dances in the rain with their children? They might also have a learning tower in their kitchen were their toddler can be found expertly chopping up a banana. It sounds like they belong here with us, don’t you think?
Maybe you have a group of daycare parents, a music class cohort, or movement practice crew in your city that you compare notes and share tips with when it comes to small space living. Bring them along too!
I would be so grateful for you to tap the button below and drop that link as a post on a facebook group, WhatsApp chat, or text message box along with some kind words. I’m looking forward to seeing who you can bring along to this community we’re building in time for the start of Series 2.
I hope that each piece in this series inspires and connects with you and your family! Drop me a comment to let me know how you’re feeling about the upcoming series and see you on November 1st where we’ll kick things off with a goodbye straight out of a solarpunk dream.
xo,
erika