/

Last year I made a Christmas jumper colouring sheet for this blog. This year I wanted to up my game a bit and make a much more involved colouring spread, in the form of a little wintery scene.

 

It’s something I hope makes you feel cozy inside as you shade to your heart’s content. Taking some time out of your day to just sit and focus on doing something is good for you, especially in a season when anxieties run high and plans seem to be non-stop. But don’t just take my word for it “everyone from researchers at Johns Hopkins University to the editors of Yoga Journal suggesting colouring as an alternative to meditation”.

If you want to tap into the calming power of colouring this Christmas download and print out the design below, grab whatever crayons you have to hand and get going.

/

The holidays are fast approaching, which can mean a lot of different things for different people. Depending on what your job is, this might be your busiest season or your quietest. Depending on your circle of loved ones, this might be a time to spend as much time with them as possible or as little as you can manage. Depending on what you believe, this might be a time to rejoice or just another cold few days. But wherever you are on the holiday spectrum, the end of the year should be a signal to take a little break.

 

About a month ago I wrote about my plans for hibernation over January, which includes a full month off blogging. I’m not going to advocate that everyone takes a full month off whatever they’re doing, because it’s largely unfeasible – I’ll still be going to work and taking commissions so for me it’s still only a partial break.

But I think the principles I’ve set out in my hibernation plan are a good blueprint for a break of any length this winter.

 

  • Feed your body and mind – when animals hibernate, they build up big stocks of food to keep them nourished throughout the winter. I’m not going to build a pile of seeds and nuts, but I am going to try to look after myself a little bit better. I also want to take some time to just consume arts, and media, and new experiences, without necessarily having to create off the back of it.
  • Put your feet up – this is the big one. I just want to sleep and relax. I don’t want to worry about scavenging for my next instagram post or my next blog idea.
  • Slow your rhythm – animals who hibernate slow down their metabolic rate to survive not eating and being cold for so long. I want to take a bit of inspiration out of that and set myself up with a new, slower schedule.
  • Set up your nest – I always imagine well stocked burrows when I think of hibernators and I want to take this opportunity to clean up my space a little. As much as I try to keep on top of things both my physical and digital spaces need some TLC and that takes time, and it takes being prioritised.

 

It’s always important to take breaks to recharge, and the end of the year gives you the perfect excuse. It also gives you the perfect opportunity to reflect on what you’ve achieved and how you might like to change your course, or batten down the sails, for the year ahead.

The switch over from December 31st and January 1st is a completely arbitrary milestone, and I often end up putting in my own throughout the year. But sometimes we need that external force to give us a push.

 

So rest up and reflect. I promise, no matter how busy, how festive, or how loving you’re feeling it will do you a world of good. We’re not sharks, we’re humans, and we need to stop sometimes in order to keep going.

/

I started this year, as I did last year, by making a big post of my goals for the year. I stuck that posted up above my desk and marked off as I went. I shared them here with you, as a way of making myself accountable, so I thought I’d share how I got on. This is an honest review of those goals, as well as how well I managed to accomplish them.

 

WHAT DID I SET OUT TO DO?

  1. Read 25 books.
  2. Take a photo/video of some kind every day.
  3. Learn 10 new skills.
  4. Do 120 hours of exercise.
  5. Implement a better sleep schedule.

By about halfway through this year, I realised I wasn’t doing all that well with my goals. Last year I found that having a big poster where I could mark my progress was really helpful, but this year it was too overwhelming. I’d pledged to do too much, and I just couldn’t keep up with it all. So instead of helping me mark my progress, the poster became a reminder of everything I was letting slip. Unsurprisingly, I took that poster down.

 

In the end I don’t think I’ve actually done that badly against a lot of the things I wanted to do, but I think I didn’t set out to do them in the right way.

 

I’ve read 22 books and counting.

I’ve exercised at least 3 times every week.

I’ve tried way more new things this year at work and home.

 

I haven’t become a daily photographer and I don’t sleep any better. But, I have at least made some progress.

 

I think the issues with this years resolutions was I had too many habit based changes to make at once. Personally, I can only really change one behaviour at once. I could have probably managed this list if it were the only thing I was working on, but I have a whole life to lead beside my resolutions.

 

So, next year I’m changing my approach. I’m going to simplify my resolutions. In fact, I’m only going to have one – major tease for a post coming next year.

 

Instead of trying to change everything at once, I want to change one habit then set myself a few goals that feel like they’re a part of my day to day life, rather than something I have to do on top of what is already too busy schedule. Next year is all about streamlining and focus.

/

I loved playing with Lego as a child, and I’ve somehow found a job where I get to play with Lego for work, so I still love playing with it. I’m clearly not the only one who thinks it’s great The Inventors Workshop quizzed 2,000 toy industry experts on their top toy of all time, and LEGO came out on top. So how did Lego come to reign supreme?

 

Lego has always been a family business. In the early 1920s Ole Kirk Christiansen, and his 12 year old son Godtfred, made wooden stepladders and ironing boards. They worked out of a small shop in Billund Denmark. Business was going well until, in 1924, “his sons accidentally set a pile of wood chips in the shop on fire”. The fire destroyed not only their workshop, but their home as well.

 

And so began the disastrous history of the Kirk Christiansen family. Ole didn’t see the fire as a set back though, he took it as an opportunity to create a bigger, better workshop. Once again he grew his business.

But the Great Depression and the loss of Ole’s wife pushed the company into layoffs and closures. Once again faced by adversity, rather than give up Ole decided to double down on the work he loved best building toys with his sons. The gamble didn’t pay off immediately. But Ole’s dedication and refusal to cut corners pulled the Kirk Christiansens through once again. In 1934, the business took the name of LEGO, which came from the Danish words “LEg GOdt,” meaning “play well.”

 

Another disastrous fire in 1942 led to the creation of the Lego we all know, love, and have felt the pain of stepping on today. Having to rebuild his factory from the ground up, Ole invested in Denmark’s first plastic-injection molding machine. He wasn’t able to use it commercially until after the war induced materials shortage in 1947. But he’d had plenty of time to play, so in 1949 Lego released what they called their “Automatic Binding Brick”.

 

The bricks were inspired by a similar design by British company Kiddicraft. But Ole’s son, as his father’s health declined, took the brick one step further. He turned a simple block into a system of play. Every block they created, he realised, should fit with the next, creating infinite possibilities of play. He wanted to unlock the potential for play in children, giving them the opportunity to build and rebuild just as Lego itself had.

 

Unfortunately Ole died just before that dream was realised in 1952. But his legacy carried on thanks to his son’s ingenuity. In fact, “any LEGO block produced since 1955 can interlock with any other.”

Disasters have also led to some of Lego’s greatest recent achievements. Near financial ruin led to one of my favourites, because it means I get to play with Lego at work. “The idea of the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methodology originated in 1996 when the two professors Johan Roos and Bart Victor at IMD in Switzerland and LEGO Group CEO and owner Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen were exploring alternative strategic planning tools and systems.” Essentially they realised that Lego was so universal, that it created a safe language to help people communicate and work together. So, today you have businessmen in identical grey suits playing with Lego and talking about their models in order to start conversations on topics that are hard to broach without something to fiddle with. Where in traditional design workshops conversations can be anchored by the most eloquent person in the room, or the one who can draw the best prototype, everyone can build with Lego and everyone can build together with Lego.

 

Lego may be the the best toy of all time, but it got there through overcoming failures. If there’s a moral to this design story is that in the face of adversity you have to keep going, or rather you have to keep playing as well as you can.

/

I, like many people right now, am trying to eat more plant based foods. I can’t call myself a vegan, I still slip – I grew up in a family where there was meat in every dinner so it’s an adjustment. But I don’t eat meat, dairy, or eggs 95% of the time. It’s a change I’ve really enjoyed making and I’m missing fewer and fewer things.

 

One thing I certainly didn’t want to miss out on this year was festive baking. Christmas is pretty much the only time I really bake these days (I’m too focused on making savory delights). Here are 4 of the sweet treats I want to try my hand at this year.

 

They’re all simple recipes, so if, like me, you’re put off by ingredients lists longer than your arm these are still very much within a doable range!

Lebkuchen

These german spiced cookie/cakes are some of my favourite treats. Unfortunately, I’ve yet to find a shop bought version which is vegan friendly so I’m 100% going to be baking my own. This recipe from Natural Kitchen Adventures seems to have just the right blend of spices and enough of a bounce – I’m not into a flat lebkuchen! I’ll probably be subbing out the glaze for something a little simpler though.

 

Mince Pies

I have a lot of time for BBC Good Food recipes. I’ve made this pastry before and it comes out perfectly crumbly and indulgent. If you’re feeling a little bit lazy, shop bought mincemeat is often vegan I know Meridian make a vegan version, so just check the jar! I can’t lie, that’s my plan. If that’s still too far, then I know Waitrose gluten free mince pies are secretly vegan, and not so secretly delicious so you could just warm them through and take all of the glory.

 

Simple Cookies

I think sometimes the greatest joy in festive baking, other than the smell of warming cinnamon, is the decoration. If you just want something to paint snowflakes, santa’s portrait or whatever else your heart desires on, may I wholeheartedly recommend the Minimalist Baker’s sugar cookies? They’re just such a great staple.

 

Cocoa

So, hot chocolate isn’t really a baked good but it does wash them down wonderfully and Christmas is one of the few times I indulge in a cup of cocoa. Plus, I’ve finally nailed my recipe so, I just wanted to share it with you all!

 

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of oat milk (any non-dairy alternative works though)
  • 1 TBSP cocoa powder
  • 1 TBSP/a couple of chunks of dark chocolate (Montezuma dark chocolate buttons are the best in my opinion)
  • 1 TBSP maple/golden syrup (or just sweeten to taste)

 

Pop your milk in a saucepan and gently heat adding in the other ingredients once it’s warm. Whisk until the cocoa powder is mixed through and the chocolate is melted. Then just pour it in your favourite festive mug.