Be Gentle With Yourself

Christmas Tree Lane, 2022 (Photo – Jerry Shot)

I hope you have a lush season of festivals, one with maximum warmth and minimum stress.

By Karen Hirsch

These darker days that encourage going inward in all ways can also add to our sensitivities to life’s pokiness. Are you someone that feels nurtured by the growing darkness? Or are you already longing for the light to return?

And so we travel even deeper into the season of festivals bringing light and warmth and hope. We’ve journeyed through the light of Diwali and will soon visit the bonfires of Solstice and Yule, the Hanukkah menorah, the hope of new light at Christmas, the light of our best selves at Kwanzaa. We can find our light within ourselves and in community, in contemplation and in conversation, in telling stories and being with trees. At the same time, we can celebrate the darker days, making peace with the circle of the year.

Be gentle with yourself.

Karen Hirsch is the owner of Apron Strings Community Bake Shop, a Pasadena cottage food bakery and teaching studio focusing on naturally leavened breads and wholesome treats.