Here is a little Christmas prompt to get some creative juices flowing. Sometimes I find these prompts lead my mind to all sorts of places and before I know it I’ve written an essay!
Alas, it’s the Christmas season!
This time of year always make me feel ____________________
The smell of ______ and the sounds of ______ bring back memories of __________
When I reflect on the year that’s been I ____________________
I’m proud of myself for___________
What I need most during this season is ____________________________
My Christmas wish is _____________
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Here’s mine:
Alas, it’s the Christmas season!
This time of year always make me feel… nostalgic. Christmas music fills my heart with joy as I remember countless Christmas’ spent with my family.
Since I now live in Australia, the smell in the air is not quite the same as Canada. A big part of me yearns for the cold during this time of year. Especially that first fresh sheet of snow that makes the whole world feel quiet. The cosiness of being safely inside watching the snow fall is one of the best feelings in the world. Some of the most precious memories I have of Christmastime are in Ottawa, a place which holds my heart gently but painfully. There are so many memories I have in that city that are both beautiful and perfect, as they are traumatising and harrowing.
Christmastime in Sydney is a different story. This city holds no emotional baggage for me. Instead this city is a marker of a new life. It’s the city I met my husband and became a mother. Instead of houses covered in snow there are purple jacaranda flowers scattered on pavements. Instead of the smell of fireplace it smells like jasmine flowers. Rather than a growing darkness brightened by the light of Christmas trees, there is a lingering lightness and cotton candy sunsets. The palm trees sway in the wind and the temperature feels like a comfortable day in June—in Canada. Yet Christmas music still plays, trees and lights are put up on trees here and there. But the feeling of Christmas in Sydney doesn’t hold as much potency, at least to me. It feels like a diluted version of the real thing. Perhaps the Australian Christmas will eventually feel normal. Maybe one day the sight of jacaranda trees and the smell of blooming jasmine flowers will make me instantly excited for Christmas.
This year has been… one of the biggest of my entire life. My daughter has been a burst of joy in both of our lives. My love for her grows each day and my heart’s ability to continue to expand with more and more love will forever surprise me.
When I reflect on the year that’s been I feel… proud, grateful and tired. It has been a wild year! There have a fair few sleepless nights and many flights.
I’m proud of myself for… the mother I’m becoming. I’m a better mum than I thought I’d be.
What I need most during this season is… space to be bored, less time on social media.
My Christmas wish is… to me and for those I love to be happy, fulfilled, and healthy.
Art Therapy with Kimberly 
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