It is that time of year when the days are short and we face inclement weather on a regular basis. For most of us this is also a favourite time of year, with Christmas and the Festive Season just around the corner! Our homes play a very important role during this time: we decorate it to celebrate the coming holidays as we get ready to prepare delicious meals and entertain family and friends on almost a daily basis.
To enhance the feeling of Christmas’ welcoming time, we use scented candles with hints of clove and orange, we drape throws over our chairs and couches to be on the ready to ward of any chill. Those of us who are lucky enough to have a wood burning fireplace cannot wait to come home after work and light the fire, getting ready for a snugglefest in front of the TV after supper. Traditionally, this is also the time board games come out as it is a long-standing tradition! We play snakes and ladders, cluedo, cards, dominoes and monopoly while we sip on a mulled wine and make funny faces at one another around the dining or kitchen table.
This is a time where our kitchens come into their own, where the seasoned or even inexperienced cook whips or warms up delicious food and other treats to serve to family and guests. While the wind and rain may be howling outside, we feel safe and warm in our homes spending time with loved ones near or far. It is also a time of reflection, of giving beautifully wrapped presents to those we love and we make hour-long calls to those we are not fortunate enough to see face to face, many times on the other side of the world. For many of us, our parents or children may be physically absent, having settled or having stayed on in far-away countries… in homes of their own, but this is a time of year that they are nearest to our hearts.
Late at night, as we feel the tiredness overcome us and the sandman is up to his tricks, we finish the night sipping on a good matured scotch to ward off any threat of the cold before getting into our beds, ready to dream of things past and those still to come.
We are all weary of the past two years’ legacy of Covid, of what it has done to our way of life and how it has altered everything, seemingly forever… but one thing we can be assured of is that our homes are always the place where we will feel protected, loved and safe.
On behalf of the Homes of Quality team, I wish you all a warm and merry Christmas and a happy, prosperous 2022!