May Your Days Be Merry, Bright, and Briney!

I think we can all agree this holiday season feels very different. I stumbled on old blogs from around this time of year, some from last year and some from three years ago, and they all have a similar tone. An accelerated momentum heading into the holidays. I compared our November energy to "crazed squirrels getting ready for the cold season. Filling, layering, piling, decorating, inviting, eating…spiking!!!" This year feels more hesitant with less haste. More careful and less compulsive. Instead of (as I've described in previous years) "…buying it, dressing it, putting a bow on it," this year our house is bottling it, pickling it, and putting an airtight lid on it! We're in high preservation mode.

I know a lot of families who are heading into the holidays for the first time with one income instead of two. Some of us might have a steady income but it feels like it's hanging on by a thread. Not to mention the global price increases, debt crisis, supply chain gridlock...just to name a FEW! So personally, I feel more tense and hunkered down - less tinsley and holly jolly. Moving more thoughtfully and pragmatically. I can feel others are moving the same way. Instead of panicking watching the sands of time dissolve away, we are taking the whole hourglass and laying it on it's side. We need a beat, no matter how clunky and uncomfortable that beat feels, we need it. Which can feel like scary times, but I think much like Covid times it can force reflection. It can shake up toxic situations, unfulfilling jobs, unhealthy lifestyles that we probably needed to pivot from for a while.

One interesting trend I'm seeing this year is more folks are staying put. That annual trip is put on pause. Extravagant holiday excess is being traded in for simpler experiences. Instead of buying the thing, we're making what we have work. Being on a budget means thinking outside the box - because you can't afford that box anyway. This can make for interesting adventures and new traditions.

I also noticed I'm hosting and getting invited to more impromptu dinners and hang outs. The other night we went from having one friend over, for a casual catch up, to six more folks that had no plans and wanted to stop by. An epic night that if we tried to put on the books it would have taken forever to come together. When things are shaken up the whole calendar breathes differently. The planner is full of interesting holes and takes on a different shape. Preparing (or the lack of preparing) for that dinner party was hilarious because without a ton of ingredients in the fridge or time to prep, it became a real DIY, tupperware to table, spread. Our impromptu menu was like a Julie Andrews song, "doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles."

I have to say though it made the atmosphere so much more relaxed and kind of carefree (in other words we had a bit of an accidental rager). Can't worry about shaking the perfect martini when there's no ice in the tumbler to begin with. Don't have to worry about following a recipe or whipping up a fancy dip, they all seemed to love whatever was in that mystery jar in the back of the fridge. When expectations are low, guards are down. When your environment matches your truth, you can get loose.

This murmur that we're hearing in our engine this year, compared to our full throttle from previous years, can actually have beautiful results - neurological ones! (You didn't think I'd get through this blog without plugging neuroscience). That stumbling, unsettling feeling turns on an important processor in the brain called “motor babbling.” Something else I found in my deep archaeology dig from old blogs.

A blog about taking the intimidation out of learning new skills, or attempting some new ludicrous Pilates move. I think this also applies to how we enter uncertain, stressful times. The way I described "motor babbling" is it's "something you hear come out of most babies when they’re learning to speak. You also see it when a child rides a bike or navigates water for the first time. Or when a teenager learns to drive, or a grown adult learns a new language or yes, takes their first pilates class💪.  The output of this can look clunky (often hilarious) and might be perceived as not doing it right - therefore not getting anything out of it.  However they discovered 'motor babbling' doesn’t mean you’re less progressed or using less energy. It in fact takes WAY more skill and live-wire action to babble your way through a move than a masterful pro."

So this week in the studio, and this holiday season, let's lean into the stumbly, fumbly blooper moments. Those are signs that something necessary is updating. Seeing the world we step out into every day, which has more obstacles than ever before, as an opportunity to approach it with simplicity and a new way of doing things. When we turn off the autopilot of how we usually do things, we can move more authentically. It's okay to stumble, and it's okay to be in a strong self-preservation mode, because out of that comes a sweeter, a more pungent, and more intentional version of ourselves. Just like the pickled vegetables and jams you all are getting from us this year.

If you find you're walking around outraged and discouraged with the state of the world... stick it to them! The best way to do that this holiday season is to SHOP LOCAL! Support the small businesses!! I'll be offering gift certificates, lots of Saturday Pop ups where you can bring the whole fam, and some fun collaborations with local shop owners - beautiful neighborhood boutiques. Look out for those on the schedule:).

Excited to make your bodies sweat, smile, and get your fill without holiday overkill.

...it's not a big dill.

XO,

Celeste