Merry and Bright

Happy holidays everyone! It's a beautiful day in Philadelphia, there's even a dusting of snow coating the sidewalks.

I wanted to post this earlier but didn't want to ruin the surprise for all the gifts I sent my friends and family. I've found that the best kind of holiday gifts are homemade ones, whether they're greeting cards, jewelry, or even handmade scarves. It means so much more when you know someone put time and thought into creating something especially for you.
This year, I got my friends involved in making holiday cards! We used water color pencils and Pinterest for inspiration.

You don't have to be a Monet to make these either: it can be a simple paint by numbers design or something as quick and easy as dots on a line! Just grab some cardstock and have fun - throw in some glitter to celebrate the upcoming New Year. Keep in mind, you can't really make a mistake because every time you color outside the lines, you make it your own. You make it unique. And that's what makes it from the heart!

Same thing goes for other arts and crafts like knitting and crocheting. Every little "mistake" is just another detail of your personality going into your work. I started knitting for the first time this year after teaching myself through Youtube tutorials. I made my friends and their families headbands and scarves. It makes me so happy to know that I am helping keep them warm this winter even when I'm not around.

This has become one of my favorite hobbies too - especially when I'm on call at the hospital. I can pick up in between answering pages right where I left off. At the end, I feel like I've accomplished something extra on top of treating my patients!

#LIFEHACK

For those of you who don't have a fireplace - you can always turn your screen into a "Yule Log" through Youtube, whether you have it streaming on your TV, phone, or computer. I used Apple TV to pull up the 8 hour version of the Yule Log video on Youtube and now get to sip hot cocoa by our crackling "fire." We used to do this all the time when we were studying for exams in medical school during winter.

Stay warm and be merry :)