Christmas is the best kind of magic but I get it, not everyone feels the same way. 

 There are many people who have lost someone they love around this time (the FF team included) and Christmas is a time for grieving, remembering, not celebrating. For my friends who work in retail, the season is a nightmarish combination of serving frazzled customers, late nights of work long after the store doors have closed and the constant worry about stock. In my office Alicia, my accountant, dislikes the holidays, it stresses and depresses her. She prefers to ignore it altogether. Many of us worry about money and expereince loneliness at this time of year as well.

It is not all jingle bells, can we all just admit that for a second. Nevertheless, I totally love the ‘light’ of the season and if that means sharing some of my own by lifting someone else up who is worried or immeasurably sad, then I see it as my responsibility to bring joy and focus on what is good about the season, even when we are bombarded by the things that seem despairing.

I pray that the next two weeks serve as a time of rest and reflection, of joy and jubilation, of bountiful blessings and if you’re in that space of sadness and I hope you get to quietly sit out the Christmas season out for as long as it takes, without having to legitimize your feelings to anyone.

 I can’t wait to get some rest myself. I am heading to Curacao directly after Boxing Day and I intend to plunk my butt down beachside and not move, not even for the island’s amazing shopping. While we’re on the topic of shopping, did you know for the past three years, the FF team has curated an Ultimate Chistimas Gift List with presents that we love, solely for the purpose of sharing them with you (HINT, you can shop the list too)

We also release a video  that showcases some of our favorite gifts. As we shift throuhg the scores of things we select with a view to whittling down our top twenty, we consider many things.However, the most important question we  ask ourselves is would we love receiving  any of the gifts we are recommending and if the answer is Yes. yes. Yes. Then the gift makes the cut!

On our list this year are the coveted Apple air phones, the Michelle Obama inspired journal, a facial massager we swear by, and even the cutest set of puppies. We have listed our favorites under categories of technology, home, beauty, and food.

Have look at the list of gifts or watch the video again. I hope it adds some joy and festivity to your day but more than that, more than the things we share with you, I pray that you are surrounded with love, peace and presence this season.